US President-Elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s off the cuff, chaotic approach to foreign policy had at least one thing going for it, even though it was more the feel of a blind pig rooting for acorns than a thought-out international initiative. In speaking with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, The&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;reported,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/us/politics/trumps-off-the-cuff-remarks-to-world-leaders-leave-diplomats-aghast.html?_r=0">Trump said</a>&nbsp;he wanted &ldquo;to address and find solutions&rdquo; to Pakistan&rsquo;s problems.

And what big problems they are.

Whether Trump understands exactly how dangerous the current tensions between Pakistan and India are, or if anything will come from the November 30 exchange between the two leaders, is anyone&rsquo;s guess. But it&rsquo;s more than the Obama administration has done over the past eight years, in spite of the outgoing president&rsquo;s 2008 election promise to address the ongoing crisis in Kashmir.

Right now, that troubled land is the single most dangerous spot on the globe.

WAR, FAMINE AND RADIATION

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the disputed province in the past six decades and came within a hair&rsquo;s breadth of a nuclear exchange in 1999. Both countries are on a crash program to produce nuclear weapons, and between them they have enough explosive power to not only kill more than 20 million of their own people, but also to devastate the world&rsquo;s ozone layer and throw the Northern Hemisphere into a nuclear winter&mdash;with a catastrophic impact on agriculture worldwide.

According to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nucleardarkness.org/index2.php">studies</a>&nbsp;done at Rutgers, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and the University of California-Los Angeles, if both countries detonated 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs, it would generate between 1 and 5 million tons of smoke. Within 10 days, that would drive temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere down to levels too cold for wheat production in much of Canada and Russia. The resulting 10% drop in rainfall&mdash;especially in Asian locales that rely monsoons&mdash;would exhaust worldwide food supplies, leading to the starvation of up to 100 million or more people.

Aside from the food crisis, a nuclear war in South Asia would destroy between 25-70% of the Northern Hemisphere&rsquo;s ozone layer, resulting in a massive increase in dangerous ultraviolet radiation.

COLD START, HOT WAR

Lest anyone think that the chances of such a war are slight, consider two recent developments: a decision by Pakistan to deploy low-yield tactical or battlefield nuclear weapons, and to give permission for local commanders to decide when to use them.

In an interview with the German newspaper&nbsp;Deutsche Welle,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-could-have-200-nuclear-weapons-by-2020/a-18105706">Gregory Koblentz</a>&nbsp;of the Council on Foreign Relations warned that if a &ldquo;commander of a forward-deployed nuclear armed unit finds himself in a &lsquo;use it or lose it&rsquo; situation and about to be overrun,&rdquo; he might decide to launch his weapons.

Pakistan&rsquo;s current defense minister,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2016/10/04/pakistan-threatens-a-nuclear-war-with-india">Muhammad Asif</a>, told Geo TV: &ldquo;If anyone steps on our soil and if anyone&rsquo;s designs are a threat to our security, we will not hesitate to use those [nuclear] weapons for our defense.&rdquo;

Every few years, the Pentagon holds a &ldquo;war games&rdquo; clash between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. Every game ends in a nuclear war.

The second dangerous development is the&nbsp;&ldquo;<a href="http://thinkwww.alternet.org/world/nuclear-winter-planetary-scale-biggest-threat-mankind-virtually-no-one-talking-about">Cold Start</a>&rdquo;&nbsp;strategy by India that would send Indian troops across the border to a depth of 30 kilometers in the advent of a terrorist attack like the 1999 Kargill incident in Kashmir, the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian parliament, or the 2008 attack on Mumbai that killed 166 people.

Since the Indian army is more than twice the size of Pakistan&rsquo;s, there would be little that Pakistanis could do to stop such an invasion other than using battlefield nukes. India would then be faced with either accepting defeat or responding.

India doesn&rsquo;t currently have any tactical nukes, only high-yield strategic weapons&mdash;many aimed at China&mdash;whose primary value is to destroy cities. Hence a decision by a Pakistani commander to use a tactical warhead would almost surely lead to a strategic response by India, setting off a full-scale nuclear exchange and the nightmare that would follow in its wake.

A REGIONAL ARMS RACE

With so much at stake, why is no one but a Twitter-addicted foreign policy apprentice saying anything? What happened to President Barack Obama&rsquo;s follow through to his&nbsp;<a href="http://fpif.org/kashmir_obama_and_the_vale_of_tears/">2008 statement</a>&nbsp;that the tensions over Kashmir &ldquo;won&rsquo;t be easy&rdquo; to solve, but that doing so &ldquo;is important&rdquo;?

A strategy of pulling India into an alliance against China was dreamed up during the administration of George W. Bush, but it was Obama&rsquo;s &ldquo;Asia Pivot&rdquo; that signed and&nbsp;<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/827283/obama-begins-landmark-visit-to-india/">sealed the deal</a>. With it went a quid pro quo: If India would abandon its traditional neutrality, the Americans would turn a blind eye to Kashmir.

As a sweetener, the US agreed to bypass the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and allow India to buy uranium on the world market, something New Delhi had been banned from doing since it detonated a nuclear bomb in 1974 using fuel it had cribbed from US-supplied nuclear reactors. In any case, because neither India nor Pakistan is a party to the treaty, both should be barred from buying uranium. In India&rsquo;s case, the US has waived that restriction.

The so-called 1-2-3 Agreement requires India to use any nuclear fuel it purchases in its civilian reactors, but frees it up to use its meager domestic supplies on its nuclear weapons program. India has since built two enormous nuclear&nbsp;<a href="http://fpif.org/bush-administration-nuclear-policy-enabled-indias-h-bomb-program/">production sites</a>&nbsp;at Challakere and near Mysore where, rumor has it, it is producing a hydrogen bomb. Both sites are off limits to international inspectors.

In 2008, when the Obama administration indicated it was interested in pursuing the 1-2-3 Agreement, then-Pakistani Foreign Minister&nbsp;<a href="http://fpif.org/by_enabling_indias_nuke_program_us_shares_blame_for_pakistans/">Khurshid Kusuni</a>&nbsp;warned that the deal would&nbsp;<a href="http://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-opposes-new-india-us-nuclear-deal-62243/">undermine</a>&nbsp;the Non-Proliferation Treaty and lead to a nuclear arms race in Asia. That is exactly what has come to pass. The only countries currently adding to their nuclear arsenals are Pakistan, India, China and North Korea.

While Pakistan is still frozen out of buying uranium on the world market, it has sufficient domestic supplies to fuel an accelerated program to raise its&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/global-cost-of-india-pak-nuclear-war-21-mn-people-will-perish-in-first-week/story-0TkO91zAhLAXJv4QWmgCQL.html">warhead production</a>. Pakistan is estimated to have between 110 and 130 warheads already, and it&rsquo;s projected to have developed 200 by 2020, surpassing the United Kingdom.

India has between 110 and 120 nuclear weapons. Both countries have short, medium and long-range missiles, submarine ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, plus nuclear-capable aircraft that can target each other&rsquo;s major urban area.

A NEW UPRISING IN KASHMIR

One problem in the current crisis is that both countries are essentially talking past one another.

Pakistan does have legitimate security concerns. It has fought and lost three wars with India over Kashmir since 1947, and it&rsquo;s deeply paranoid about the size of the Indian army.

But India has been the victim of several major terrorist attacks that have Pakistan&rsquo;s fingerprints all over them. The 1999 Kargill invasion lasted a month and killed hundreds of soldiers on both sides. Reportedly, the Pakistanis were considering&nbsp;<a href="http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hallinan.php?articleid=13447">arming their missiles</a>&nbsp;with nuclear warheads until the Clinton administration convinced them to stand down.

Pakistan&rsquo;s military has long denied that it has any control over terrorist organisations based in Pakistan, but virtually all intelligence agencies agree that, with the exception of the country&rsquo;s home-grown Taliban, that is not the case. The Pakistani army certainly knew about a recent attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers.

In the past, India responded to such attacks with quiet counterattacks of its own, but this time around the right-wing nationalist government of Narendra Modi announced that the Indian military had crossed the border and killed more than 30 militants. It was the first time that India&nbsp;<a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/10/07/commentary/world-commentary/pathways-catastrophic-india-pakistan-nuclear-war/">publicly acknowledged</a>&nbsp;a cross-border assault.

Meanwhile, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/world/asia/bollywood-becomes-india-and-pakistans-latest-battleground.html">Indian press</a>&nbsp;has whipped up a nationalist fervor that has seen sports events between the two countries cancelled and a ban on using Pakistani actors in Indian films. The Pakistani press has been no less jingoistic.

In the meantime, the situation in Kashmir has gone from bad to worse. Early in the summer Indian security forces killed Burhan Wani, a popular leader of the Kashmir independence movement. Since then the province has essentially been&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/world/asia/kashmir-india-pakistan-militants.html">paralysed</a>, with schools closed and massive demonstrations. Thousands of residents have been arrested, close to 100 killed, and hundreds of demonstrators wounded and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/world/asia/pellet-guns-used-in-kashmir-protests-cause-dead-eyes-epidemic.html">blinded</a>&nbsp;by the widespread use of birdshot by Indian security forces.

Indian rule in Kashmir has been singularly brutal. Between 50,000 and 80,000 people have died over the past six decades, and thousands of others have been &ldquo;disappeared&rdquo; by security forces. While in the past the Pakistani army aided the infiltration of terrorist groups to attack the Indian army, this time around the uprising is homegrown. Kashmiris are simply tired of military rule and a law that gives Indian security forces essentially&nbsp;carte blanche&nbsp;to terrorise the population.

Called the Special Powers Act&mdash;modeled after a British provision to suppress of Catholics in Northern Ireland and mirroring practices widely used by the Israelis in the Occupied Territories&mdash;the law allows Indian authorities to arrest and imprison people without charge and gives immunity to Indian security forces.

AVENUES TO PEACE

As complex as the situation in Kashmir is, there are avenues to resolve it. A good start would be to suspend the Special Powers Act and send the Indian army back to the barracks.

The crisis in Kashmir began when the Hindu ruler of the mostly Muslim region opted to join India when the countries were divided in 1947. At the time, the residents were promised that a United Nations-sponsored referendum would allow residents to choose India, Pakistan or independence. That referendum has never been held. Certainly the current situation cannot continue. Kashmir has almost 12 million people, and no army or security force&mdash;even one as large as India&rsquo;s&mdash;can maintain a permanent occupation if the residents don&rsquo;t want it. Instead of resorting to force, India should ratchet down its security forces and negotiate with Kashmiris for an interim increase in local autonomy.

But in the long run, the Kashmiris should have their referendum&mdash;and both India and Pakistan will have to accept the results.

What the world cannot afford is for the current tensions to spiral down into a military confrontation that could easily get out of hand. The United States, through its aid to Pakistan&mdash;$860 million this year&mdash;has some leverage, but it cannot play a role if its ultimate goal is an alliance to contain China, a close ally of Pakistan.

Neither country would survive a nuclear war, and neither country should be spending its money on an&nbsp;<a href="http://nation.com.pk/columns/25-May-2016/pakistan-s-defense-budget">arms race</a>. Almost 30% of Indians live below the poverty line, as do 22% of Pakistanis. The $51 billion Indian defense budget and the $7 billion Pakistan spends could be put to far better use.

As Donald Trump ascends to the White House, he?s wading into the most dangerous conflict on the globe

US President-Elect Donald Trump’s off the cuff, chaotic approach to foreign policy had at least one thing going for it, even though it was more the feel of a blind pig rooting for acorns than a thought-out international initiative. In speaking with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, The New York Times reported, Trump said he wanted “to address and find solutions” to Pakistan’s problems. And what big problems they are. Whether Trump understands exactly how dangerous the current tensions between Pakistan and India are, or if anything will come from the November 30 exchange between the two leaders, is anyone’s guess. But it’s more than the Obama administration has done over the past eight years, in spite of the outgoing president’s 2008 election promise to address the ongoing crisis in Kashmir. Right now, that troubled land is the single most dangerous spot on the globe. WAR, FAMINE AND RADIATION India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the disputed province in the past six decades and came within a hair’s breadth of a nuclear exchange in 1999. Both countries are on a crash program to produce nuclear weapons, and between them they have enough explosive power to not only kill more than 20 million of their own people, but also to devastate the world’s ozone layer and throw the Northern Hemisphere into a nuclear winter—with a catastrophic impact on agriculture worldwide. According to studies done at Rutgers, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and the University of California-Los Angeles, if both countries detonated 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs, it would generate between 1 and 5 million tons of smoke. Within 10 days, that would drive temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere down to levels too cold for wheat production in much of Canada and Russia. The resulting 10% drop in rainfall—especially in Asian locales that rely monsoons—would exhaust worldwide food supplies, leading to the starvation of up to 100 million or more people. Aside from the food crisis, a nuclear war in South Asia would destroy between 25-70% of the Northern Hemisphere’s ozone layer, resulting in a massive increase in dangerous ultraviolet radiation. COLD START, HOT WAR Lest anyone think that the chances of such a war are slight, consider two recent developments: a decision by Pakistan to deploy low-yield tactical or battlefield nuclear weapons, and to give permission for local commanders to decide when to use them. In an interview with the German newspaper Deutsche Welle, Gregory Koblentz of the Council on Foreign Relations warned that if a “commander of a forward-deployed nuclear armed unit finds himself in a ‘use it or lose it’ situation and about to be overrun,” he might decide to launch his weapons. Pakistan’s current defense minister, Muhammad Asif, told Geo TV: “If anyone steps on our soil and if anyone’s designs are a threat to our security, we will not hesitate to use those [nuclear] weapons for our defense.” Every few years, the Pentagon holds a “war games” clash between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. Every game ends in a nuclear war. The second dangerous development is the “Cold Start” strategy by India that would send Indian troops across the border to a depth of 30 kilometers in the advent of a terrorist attack like the 1999 Kargill incident in Kashmir, the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian parliament, or the 2008 attack on Mumbai that killed 166 people. Since the Indian army is more than twice the size of Pakistan’s, there would be little that Pakistanis could do to stop such an invasion other than using battlefield nukes. India would then be faced with either accepting defeat or responding. India doesn’t currently have any tactical nukes, only high-yield strategic weapons—many aimed at China—whose primary value is to destroy cities. Hence a decision by a Pakistani commander to use a tactical warhead would almost surely lead to a strategic response by India, setting off a full-scale nuclear exchange and the nightmare that would follow in its wake. A REGIONAL ARMS RACE With so much at stake, why is no one but a Twitter-addicted foreign policy apprentice saying anything? What happened to President Barack Obama’s follow through to his 2008 statement that the tensions over Kashmir “won’t be easy” to solve, but that doing so “is important”? A strategy of pulling India into an alliance against China was dreamed up during the administration of George W. Bush, but it was Obama’s “Asia Pivot” that signed and sealed the deal. With it went a quid pro quo: If India would abandon its traditional neutrality, the Americans would turn a blind eye to Kashmir. As a sweetener, the US agreed to bypass the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and allow India to buy uranium on the world market, something New Delhi had been banned from doing since it detonated a nuclear bomb in 1974 using fuel it had cribbed from US-supplied nuclear reactors. In any case, because neither India nor Pakistan is a party to the treaty, both should be barred from buying uranium. In India’s case, the US has waived that restriction. The so-called 1-2-3 Agreement requires India to use any nuclear fuel it purchases in its civilian reactors, but frees it up to use its meager domestic supplies on its nuclear weapons program. India has since built two enormous nuclear production sites at Challakere and near Mysore where, rumor has it, it is producing a hydrogen bomb. Both sites are off limits to international inspectors. In 2008, when the Obama administration indicated it was interested in pursuing the 1-2-3 Agreement, then-Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kusuni warned that the deal would undermine the Non-Proliferation Treaty and lead to a nuclear arms race in Asia. That is exactly what has come to pass. The only countries currently adding to their nuclear arsenals are Pakistan, India, China and North Korea. While Pakistan is still frozen out of buying uranium on the world market, it has sufficient domestic supplies to fuel an accelerated program to raise its warhead production. Pakistan is estimated to have between 110 and 130 warheads already, and it’s projected to have developed 200 by 2020, surpassing the United Kingdom. India has between 110 and 120 nuclear weapons. Both countries have short, medium and long-range missiles, submarine ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, plus nuclear-capable aircraft that can target each other’s major urban area. A NEW UPRISING IN KASHMIR One problem in the current crisis is that both countries are essentially talking past one another. Pakistan does have legitimate security concerns. It has fought and lost three wars with India over Kashmir since 1947, and it’s deeply paranoid about the size of the Indian army. But India has been the victim of several major terrorist attacks that have Pakistan’s fingerprints all over them. The 1999 Kargill invasion lasted a month and killed hundreds of soldiers on both sides. Reportedly, the Pakistanis were considering arming their missiles with nuclear warheads until the Clinton administration convinced them to stand down. Pakistan’s military has long denied that it has any control over terrorist organisations based in Pakistan, but virtually all intelligence agencies agree that, with the exception of the country’s home-grown Taliban, that is not the case. The Pakistani army certainly knew about a recent attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers. In the past, India responded to such attacks with quiet counterattacks of its own, but this time around the right-wing nationalist government of Narendra Modi announced that the Indian military had crossed the border and killed more than 30 militants. It was the first time that India publicly acknowledged a cross-border assault. Meanwhile, the Indian press has whipped up a nationalist fervor that has seen sports events between the two countries cancelled and a ban on using Pakistani actors in Indian films. The Pakistani press has been no less jingoistic. In the meantime, the situation in Kashmir has gone from bad to worse. Early in the summer Indian security forces killed Burhan Wani, a popular leader of the Kashmir independence movement. Since then the province has essentially been paralysed, with schools closed and massive demonstrations. Thousands of residents have been arrested, close to 100 killed, and hundreds of demonstrators wounded and blinded by the widespread use of birdshot by Indian security forces. Indian rule in Kashmir has been singularly brutal. Between 50,000 and 80,000 people have died over the past six decades, and thousands of others have been “disappeared” by security forces. While in the past the Pakistani army aided the infiltration of terrorist groups to attack the Indian army, this time around the uprising is homegrown. Kashmiris are simply tired of military rule and a law that gives Indian security forces essentially carte blanche to terrorise the population. Called the Special Powers Act—modeled after a British provision to suppress of Catholics in Northern Ireland and mirroring practices widely used by the Israelis in the Occupied Territories—the law allows Indian authorities to arrest and imprison people without charge and gives immunity to Indian security forces. AVENUES TO PEACE As complex as the situation in Kashmir is, there are avenues to resolve it. A good start would be to suspend the Special Powers Act and send the Indian army back to the barracks. The crisis in Kashmir began when the Hindu ruler of the mostly Muslim region opted to join India when the countries were divided in 1947. At the time, the residents were promised that a United Nations-sponsored referendum would allow residents to choose India, Pakistan or independence. That referendum has never been held. Certainly the current situation cannot continue. Kashmir has almost 12 million people, and no army or security force—even one as large as India’s—can maintain a permanent occupation if the residents don’t want it. Instead of resorting to force, India should ratchet down its security forces and negotiate with Kashmiris for an interim increase in local autonomy. But in the long run, the Kashmiris should have their referendum—and both India and Pakistan will have to accept the results. What the world cannot afford is for the current tensions to spiral down into a military confrontation that could easily get out of hand. The United States, through its aid to Pakistan—$860 million this year—has some leverage, but it cannot play a role if its ultimate goal is an alliance to contain China, a close ally of Pakistan. Neither country would survive a nuclear war, and neither country should be spending its money on an arms race. Almost 30% of Indians live below the poverty line, as do 22% of Pakistanis. The $51 billion Indian defense budget and the $7 billion Pakistan spends could be put to far better use.

Avoiding the unthinkable in India and Pakistan

President-elect Donald Trump called for an expansion of the United States&#39; nuclear capabilities on Thursday, in a tweet that alarmed nonproliferation experts who said that a boost to the US&nbsp;arsenal could fuel global tensions.

In his Twitter post, Trump said, &quot;The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,&quot; but gave no further details.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/811977223326625792">December 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

It was not clear what prompted his comment. However, earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia needed to &quot;strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces&quot;.

Asked about the tweet, Trump spokesman Jason Miller later said Trump was &quot;referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it - particularly to and among terrorist organisations and unstable and rogue regimes&quot;.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, also has &quot;emphasised the need to improve and modernise our deterrent capability as a vital way to pursue peace through strength,&quot; spokesman Jason Miller said.

Miller told Reuters that Trump was not advocating the use of nuclear weapons, and said Trump&#39;s comments were not meant to be read as a new policy proposal. Interpretation is especially confusing&nbsp;because Trump has criticised media in the past, saying they should take his words &quot;seriously, but not literally&quot;.

As critics worry about Trump&#39;s links to Russia, his tweet was published within 24 hours of an almost identical message&nbsp;about increasing&nbsp;nuclear capacity&nbsp;put out by Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

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Compare Trump and Putin statements on nukes, both delivered within last 24 hours <a href="https://t.co/0RFylUhpe8">pic.twitter.com/0RFylUhpe8</a>
&mdash; Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior/status/811980543130636288">December 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Experts wondered whether Trump&#39;s brief tweet meant he wanted to breach limits imposed on US&nbsp;strategic weapons and delivery systems by the 2011 New START treaty with Russia - or planned to expand the non-deployed stockpile.

&quot;It is completely irresponsible for the president-elect or the president to make changes to US&nbsp;nuclear policy in 140 characters and without understanding the implications of statements like &lsquo;expand the capacity,&rsquo;&quot; said Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, a leading proponent of arms control based in Washington.

&quot;He must have leaders around the world trying to guess what he means,&quot; Kimball said in an interview. &quot;This is bush league.&quot;

Putin, who has said that Trump has confirmed to him that he is willing to mend ties between the two countries, also spoke on Thursday of the need to enhance Russia&#39;s nuclear arsenal.

&quot;We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defence systems,&quot; he said in a speech in Moscow.

If Trump and Putin both want to expand nuclear weapons, that would effectively end arms control efforts underway since the Nixon administration, said Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a foundation that works to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons.

&quot;This is how arms races begin - with a battle of words,&quot; Cirincione said, urging Trump, a real estate mogul, to &quot;make the biggest deal of his life&quot; and negotiate cuts to the nuclear arsenal with Russia.

&quot;Neither side needs to be spending hundreds of billions of dollars on nuclear weapons we don&rsquo;t need,&quot; Cirincione said.

The United States is one of five nuclear weapons states allowed to keep a nuclear arsenal under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The others are Russia, Britain, France and China.

Trump&#39;s &quot;farcical&quot; tweet failed to communicate a &quot;rational deterrence policy&quot; and risks fuelling arms race dynamics with Russia and China, said Miles Pomper, Senior Fellow at the Washington-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

The United States needs to do more to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the wrong hands, rather than creating more materials, Pomper told Reuters.

&quot;Expanding our nuclear arsenal will do nothing to prevent nuclear proliferation or prevent nuclear terrorism. We have more than enough nuclear weapons as it is,&quot; Pomper said.

Trump, who was elected on November 8, campaigned on a platform of building up the US&nbsp;military but also pledged to cut taxes and control federal spending.

Most of the US&nbsp;arsenal was built between 25 and 62 years ago during the arms race with the former Soviet Union, and has been patched and otherwise refashioned many times to extend its lifespan.

During the next decade, US&nbsp;ballistic missile submarines, bombers, and land-based missiles - the three legs of the nuclear triad - are expected to reach the end of their useful lives.

Maintaining and modernising the arsenal is expected to cost at about $1 trillion over 30 years, according to independent estimates.

Trump&#39;s tweet came the day after meeting with a dozen Pentagon officials involved with defence acquisition programs. He also met with the chief executives of Lockheed Martin Corp&nbsp;and Boeing Co, the country&#39;s two largest defence contractors, about high-profile projects he said cost too much.

Late on Thursday, Trump said on Twitter that he had asked Boeing to &quot;price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet&quot; because of the &quot;tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35&quot;.

(Reuters)

Expanding our nuclear arsenal will do nothing to prevent...nuclear terrorism. We have more than enough nuclear weapons: US Nuclear expert

President-elect Donald Trump called for an expansion of the United States' nuclear capabilities on Thursday, in a tweet that alarmed nonproliferation experts who said that a boost to the US arsenal could fuel global tensions. In his Twitter post, Trump said, "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes," but gave no further details. The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016 × It was not clear what prompted his comment. However, earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia needed to "strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces". Asked about the tweet, Trump spokesman Jason Miller later said Trump was "referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it - particularly to and among terrorist organisations and unstable and rogue regimes". Trump, who takes office on January 20, also has "emphasised the need to improve and modernise our deterrent capability as a vital way to pursue peace through strength," spokesman Jason Miller said. Miller told Reuters that Trump was not advocating the use of nuclear weapons, and said Trump's comments were not meant to be read as a new policy proposal. Interpretation is especially confusing because Trump has criticised media in the past, saying they should take his words "seriously, but not literally". As critics worry about Trump's links to Russia, his tweet was published within 24 hours of an almost identical message about increasing nuclear capacity put out by Vladimir Putin. Compare Trump and Putin statements on nukes, both delivered within last 24 hours pic.twitter.com/0RFylUhpe8 — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) December 22, 2016 × Experts wondered whether Trump's brief tweet meant he wanted to breach limits imposed on US strategic weapons and delivery systems by the 2011 New START treaty with Russia - or planned to expand the non-deployed stockpile. "It is completely irresponsible for the president-elect or the president to make changes to US nuclear policy in 140 characters and without understanding the implications of statements like ‘expand the capacity,’" said Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, a leading proponent of arms control based in Washington. "He must have leaders around the world trying to guess what he means," Kimball said in an interview. "This is bush league." Putin, who has said that Trump has confirmed to him that he is willing to mend ties between the two countries, also spoke on Thursday of the need to enhance Russia's nuclear arsenal. "We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defence systems," he said in a speech in Moscow. If Trump and Putin both want to expand nuclear weapons, that would effectively end arms control efforts underway since the Nixon administration, said Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a foundation that works to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons. "This is how arms races begin - with a battle of words," Cirincione said, urging Trump, a real estate mogul, to "make the biggest deal of his life" and negotiate cuts to the nuclear arsenal with Russia. "Neither side needs to be spending hundreds of billions of dollars on nuclear weapons we don’t need," Cirincione said. The United States is one of five nuclear weapons states allowed to keep a nuclear arsenal under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The others are Russia, Britain, France and China. Trump's "farcical" tweet failed to communicate a "rational deterrence policy" and risks fuelling arms race dynamics with Russia and China, said Miles Pomper, Senior Fellow at the Washington-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies. The United States needs to do more to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the wrong hands, rather than creating more materials, Pomper told Reuters. "Expanding our nuclear arsenal will do nothing to prevent nuclear proliferation or prevent nuclear terrorism. We have more than enough nuclear weapons as it is," Pomper said. Trump, who was elected on November 8, campaigned on a platform of building up the US military but also pledged to cut taxes and control federal spending. Most of the US arsenal was built between 25 and 62 years ago during the arms race with the former Soviet Union, and has been patched and otherwise refashioned many times to extend its lifespan. During the next decade, US ballistic missile submarines, bombers, and land-based missiles - the three legs of the nuclear triad - are expected to reach the end of their useful lives. Maintaining and modernising the arsenal is expected to cost at about $1 trillion over 30 years, according to independent estimates. Trump's tweet came the day after meeting with a dozen Pentagon officials involved with defence acquisition programs. He also met with the chief executives of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, the country's two largest defence contractors, about high-profile projects he said cost too much. Late on Thursday, Trump said on Twitter that he had asked Boeing to "price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet" because of the "tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35". (Reuters)

Trump tweets, US must 'greatly strengthen and expand' nuclear capability

Chinese state media on Friday expressed alarm and warned of a &quot;showdown with the US&quot; after President-elect Donald Trump named Peter Navarro, an economist who has urged a hard line against China, to head a new White House National Trade Council.

Navarro is an academic and one-time investment adviser who has authored books such as &quot;Death by China: How America Lost its Manufacturing Base&quot;. The book was made into a documentary film about Beijing&#39;s desire to become the dominant economic and military power in Asia.

&quot;That individuals such as Navarro who have a bias against China are being picked to work in leading positions in the next administration, is no laughing matter,&quot; the official English-language China Daily said in an editorial.

&quot;The new administration should bear in mind that with economic and trade ties between the world&#39;s two largest economies now the closest they have ever been, any move to damage the win-win relationship will only result in a loss for both sides.&quot;

The previous day, China&#39;s foreign ministry said in reaction it was playing close attention to Trump&#39;s transition team and possible policy direction, that cooperation between the two countries was the only correct choice.

The Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party&#39;s official People&#39;s Daily, said Trump&#39;s decision over Navarro was &quot;by no means a positive signal&quot;.

&quot;China needs to face up to the reality that the Trump team maintains a hard-line attitude toward China. It must discard any illusions and make full preparations for any offensive move by the Trump government,&quot; the Global Times said in an editorial.

&quot;China is powerful enough to withstand pressures from the Trump government. Beijing will get used to the tensions between the two countries. If Washington dares to provoke China over its core interests, Beijing won&#39;t fear setting up a showdown with the US, pressuring the latter to pay respect to China.&quot;

Trump, a Republican, made trade a centrepiece of his presidential campaign and railed against what he said were bad deals the United States had made with other countries. He has threatened to hit Mexico and China with high tariffs once he takes office on Jan. 20.

Navarro, 67, a professor at University of California, Irvine, advised Trump during the campaign. As well as describing what he sees as America&#39;s losing economic war with China, Navarro has highlighted concerns over environmental issues related to Chinese imports and the theft of US&nbsp;intellectual property.

(Reuters)

Beijing is 'alarmed' after Trump picks the author of 'Death by China: How America Lost its Manufacturing Base' to lead a major trade council

Chinese state media on Friday expressed alarm and warned of a "showdown with the US" after President-elect Donald Trump named Peter Navarro, an economist who has urged a hard line against China, to head a new White House National Trade Council. Navarro is an academic and one-time investment adviser who has authored books such as "Death by China: How America Lost its Manufacturing Base". The book was made into a documentary film about Beijing's desire to become the dominant economic and military power in Asia. "That individuals such as Navarro who have a bias against China are being picked to work in leading positions in the next administration, is no laughing matter," the official English-language China Daily said in an editorial. "The new administration should bear in mind that with economic and trade ties between the world's two largest economies now the closest they have ever been, any move to damage the win-win relationship will only result in a loss for both sides." The previous day, China's foreign ministry said in reaction it was playing close attention to Trump's transition team and possible policy direction, that cooperation between the two countries was the only correct choice. The Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, said Trump's decision over Navarro was "by no means a positive signal". "China needs to face up to the reality that the Trump team maintains a hard-line attitude toward China. It must discard any illusions and make full preparations for any offensive move by the Trump government," the Global Times said in an editorial. "China is powerful enough to withstand pressures from the Trump government. Beijing will get used to the tensions between the two countries. If Washington dares to provoke China over its core interests, Beijing won't fear setting up a showdown with the US, pressuring the latter to pay respect to China." Trump, a Republican, made trade a centrepiece of his presidential campaign and railed against what he said were bad deals the United States had made with other countries. He has threatened to hit Mexico and China with high tariffs once he takes office on Jan. 20. Navarro, 67, a professor at University of California, Irvine, advised Trump during the campaign. As well as describing what he sees as America's losing economic war with China, Navarro has highlighted concerns over environmental issues related to Chinese imports and the theft of US intellectual property. (Reuters)

Chinese-state media bristle over Trump's anti-China appointment

Vladimir Putin praised US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying he had his finger on the pulse of US&nbsp;society, and launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers.

Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia&#39;s president said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat.

&quot;The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors,&quot; Putin told reporters.

&quot;(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name,&quot; Putin said, accusing the Democrats of &quot;shamelessly&quot; abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion.

&quot;Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be,&quot; he said.

The White House and US&nbsp;intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the US&nbsp;election by hacking Democratic Party accounts. Information from those hacks was leaked online, causing political problems for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Putin dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Trump to victory in any way however.

&quot;It&#39;s not like that,&quot; he said. &quot;All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration&#39;s systemic problems.&quot;

Sore losers

The question of who hacked the US&nbsp;Democratic party was not important anyway, said Putin, but what the hacks revealed - that public opinion in the United States was being manipulated - was.

&quot;They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.&quot;

Putin, who spoke positively of Trump before his election win, said that Moscow had believed in his victory.

&quot;Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him,&quot; Putin said, adding with a smile. &quot;Except for you and me.&quot;

Putin addressed Trump&#39;s comments about the need to boost the US&nbsp;nuclear arsenal, saying they were perfectly normal.

Trump&#39;s comments, made in a tweet on Thursday, alarmed non-proliferation experts who said that a boost to the US&nbsp;arsenal could fuel global tensions.

But Putin said he was surprised by the fuss Trump&#39;s tweet had caused and how it had been linked to his own statements about Russia&#39;s plans to modernise its own nuclear arsenal.

Putin said on Thursday Russia&#39;s military was &quot;stronger than any potential aggressor&quot;. He made clear on Friday he did not regard the United States as a potential aggressor.

&quot;I was a bit surprised by the statements from some representatives of the current US&nbsp;administration who for some reason started to prove that the US&nbsp;military was the most powerful in the world,&quot; said Putin.

&quot;Nobody is arguing with that.&quot;

(Reuters)

Only Russia believed Trump would win the election, says President Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin praised US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying he had his finger on the pulse of US society, and launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers. Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia's president said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat. "The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors," Putin told reporters. "(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name," Putin said, accusing the Democrats of "shamelessly" abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion. "Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be," he said. The White House and US intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the US election by hacking Democratic Party accounts. Information from those hacks was leaked online, causing political problems for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Putin dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Trump to victory in any way however. "It's not like that," he said. "All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration's systemic problems." Sore losers The question of who hacked the US Democratic party was not important anyway, said Putin, but what the hacks revealed - that public opinion in the United States was being manipulated - was. "They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity." Putin, who spoke positively of Trump before his election win, said that Moscow had believed in his victory. "Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him," Putin said, adding with a smile. "Except for you and me." Putin addressed Trump's comments about the need to boost the US nuclear arsenal, saying they were perfectly normal. Trump's comments, made in a tweet on Thursday, alarmed non-proliferation experts who said that a boost to the US arsenal could fuel global tensions. But Putin said he was surprised by the fuss Trump's tweet had caused and how it had been linked to his own statements about Russia's plans to modernise its own nuclear arsenal. Putin said on Thursday Russia's military was "stronger than any potential aggressor". He made clear on Friday he did not regard the United States as a potential aggressor. "I was a bit surprised by the statements from some representatives of the current US administration who for some reason started to prove that the US military was the most powerful in the world," said Putin. "Nobody is arguing with that." (Reuters)

Putin praises Trump, calls out 'shameless' Democrats

China said today it welcomed Sao Tome and Principe&#39;s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a move that comes as US President-elect Donald Trump questions Washington&#39;s policy towards the self-ruled island.

The small west African nation suspended ties with China in 1997, when it chose to officially recognise Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war.

Beijing has repeatedly asserted its belief that there is only &quot;one China&quot; and that the island remains part of its territory awaiting reunification.

Tensions between the mainland and what it refers to as a &quot;renegade province&quot; have heightened since president Tsai Ing-wen, who leads Taiwan&#39;s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, took office in May.

Adding fuel to that fire, Trump angered Beijing with comments earlier this month suggesting he could use recognition of the island as a bargaining chip to extract trade deals from China.

&quot;We welcome Sao Tome and Principe back onto the correct path of the one China principle,&quot; the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. &quot;Persisting in the one China principle is the direction of international popular sentiment and an irresistible trend,&quot; it added.

Sao Tome&#39;s decision leaves Taiwan with formal diplomatic ties to only 21 states, including just two in Africa -- Swaziland and Burkina Faso. It also has relations with the Vatican, its most high profile supporter.

Sao Tome&#39;s decision follows a precedent shattering congratulatory phone call from Tsai to Trump, which angered Beijing. 
The billionaire politician further raised the temperature among the Chinese leadership by publicly questioning US reluctance to recognise Taiwan.

&quot;I don&#39;t know why we have to be bound by a one China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade,&quot; he told Fox News earlier this month.

Tsai is preparing for a trip next month to meet with diplomatic allies in Latin America, where she is expected to pass through the US, which may irk China.

(AFP)&nbsp;

This diplomatic support for Beijing's 'One China' policy comes after Donald Trump publicly questioned US reluctance to recognise Taiwan

China said today it welcomed Sao Tome and Principe's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a move that comes as US President-elect Donald Trump questions Washington's policy towards the self-ruled island. The small west African nation suspended ties with China in 1997, when it chose to officially recognise Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war. Beijing has repeatedly asserted its belief that there is only "one China" and that the island remains part of its territory awaiting reunification. Tensions between the mainland and what it refers to as a "renegade province" have heightened since president Tsai Ing-wen, who leads Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, took office in May. Adding fuel to that fire, Trump angered Beijing with comments earlier this month suggesting he could use recognition of the island as a bargaining chip to extract trade deals from China. "We welcome Sao Tome and Principe back onto the correct path of the one China principle," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. "Persisting in the one China principle is the direction of international popular sentiment and an irresistible trend," it added. Sao Tome's decision leaves Taiwan with formal diplomatic ties to only 21 states, including just two in Africa -- Swaziland and Burkina Faso. It also has relations with the Vatican, its most high profile supporter. Sao Tome's decision follows a precedent shattering congratulatory phone call from Tsai to Trump, which angered Beijing. The billionaire politician further raised the temperature among the Chinese leadership by publicly questioning US reluctance to recognise Taiwan. "I don't know why we have to be bound by a one China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," he told Fox News earlier this month. Tsai is preparing for a trip next month to meet with diplomatic allies in Latin America, where she is expected to pass through the US, which may irk China. (AFP)

China welcomes Sao Tome's split with Taiwan

China has returned to US an unmanned underwater drone that was seized by the Chinese Navy last week in international waters, the Pentagon press reports.&nbsp;

China&#39;s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, the drone was handed back after &quot;friendly consultations&quot;.

The seizure of the drone triggered speculations as well as a diplomatic protest about whether this will strengthen US President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s hand as he seeks a tougher line with Beijing.

The US says the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. Officials say a noncombat ship was recovering two drones when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them, according to the ABC news.

This has added to the concerns of US regarding China&#39;s growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts.

The US Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60 kg (130 pounds) and able to stay underwater for up to five months. They are used to collect unclassified data about oceans, including temperature and depth. They are used around the world, but it is unclear how many are used in the South China Sea, reports Reuters.

China is now deeply suspicious of any US military activities in the South China Sea.

While the state media and experts say that the use of the drone was likely part of US surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway.

(WION)

The US says the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters.

China has returned to US an unmanned underwater drone that was seized by the Chinese Navy last week in international waters, the Pentagon press reports. China's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, the drone was handed back after "friendly consultations". The seizure of the drone triggered speculations as well as a diplomatic protest about whether this will strengthen US President-elect Donald Trump's hand as he seeks a tougher line with Beijing. The US says the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. Officials say a noncombat ship was recovering two drones when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them, according to the ABC news. This has added to the concerns of US regarding China's growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts. The US Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60 kg (130 pounds) and able to stay underwater for up to five months. They are used to collect unclassified data about oceans, including temperature and depth. They are used around the world, but it is unclear how many are used in the South China Sea, reports Reuters. China is now deeply suspicious of any US military activities in the South China Sea. While the state media and experts say that the use of the drone was likely part of US surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway. (WION)

China has returned a US unmanned underwater drone

Throughout the 2016 US&nbsp;election, Donald Trump has fawned over Vladimir Putin, but has repeatedly denied knowing him personally. But in 2013, Trump was filmed admitting that he does &quot;have&nbsp;a relationship&quot; with Vladimir Putin&nbsp;

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Trump caught in a HUGE lie on his relationship with Putin. 
 
Watch &amp; share this before the Electoral College votes tomorrow (Monday). <a href="https://t.co/GVBnvSMVdO">pic.twitter.com/GVBnvSMVdO</a>
&mdash; Shaun King (@ShaunKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/810521154809106432">December 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump has brazenly&nbsp;refused to&nbsp;release his tax returns, falsely saying that an&nbsp;audit he was under&nbsp;prevented him from doing so. Then his son Donald Trump Jr, an official Trump Team member, gave the real reason--that releasing his tax returns would subject <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/9/15/12928146/donald-trump-jr-tax-returns">them to public scrutiny. </a>
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Trump&nbsp;is the first&nbsp;presidential candidate in about 40 years to refuse this basic step&nbsp;towards transparency. Trump has also refused to divest himself from his private businesses before taking on the role of President, saying the business will be kept in the family--that is, it will be&nbsp;run by his&nbsp;children, who have already sat in on official meetings with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/16/donald-trump-denies-seeking-security-clearance-for-children/9RuJmL53gRnTgvWwn92WFK/story.html">national</a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/politics/ivanka-trump-shinzo-abe.html">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/16/donald-trump-denies-seeking-security-clearance-for-children/9RuJmL53gRnTgvWwn92WFK/story.html">leaders&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.geektime.com/2016/12/14/guess-who-decided-to-join-trumps-tech-meeting-his-children/">global tech giants</a>.

The prospect of Trump&nbsp;being hopelessly enmeshed in a series of&nbsp;conflict of interests, and even the fear that his presidency will be unconstitutional from his first day in office, are all too real fears. But because of Trump&#39;s secrecy and because this is all so unprecedented, it&#39;s hard to sort it out precisely.

But the fears grow each time&nbsp;more public revelations link&nbsp;Trump, and the people in his administration,&nbsp;to Russia.

&nbsp;

A small sampling of Trump&#39;s Russian connections:

Today it was<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-state-secretary-pick-directed-us-russian-oil-company-leak-reveals-10303"> reported that</a> Trump&#39;s selection for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was once the director of a US-Russian oil company, and personally received rewards from Vladimir Putin. The Guardian reports that Tillerson is &quot;close&quot;&nbsp;to Igor Sechin, a hardliner ex-KGB member who heads Russia&#39;s state oil company, Rosneft. Tillerson also has no political experience whatsoever.

Two major US intelligence agencies and the White House have stated&nbsp;explicitly that they believe&nbsp;Russian hackers intervened in the US election in order to&nbsp;favour Trump, and that this was personally approved by Vladmir Putin.

Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager, quit&nbsp;during the election after evidence emerged that&nbsp;he lobbied for pro-Russian Ukrainian leader&nbsp;Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort initially denied the charge, which he called&nbsp;political propaganda.&nbsp;<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/291680-report-manafort-helped-ukraine-party-pay-us-lobbyists">Other reports</a> claim Manafort funnelled money so pro-Russian interests could secret lobby Washington without making their influence known.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-making-inquiry-ex-trump-campaign-manager-s-foreign-ties-n675881">NBC reported</a> in August that Manafort was a key player in multi-million dollar business deals between Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, one of them for a close Putin ally with alleged ties to organised crime.

Donald Trump&#39;s son Donald&nbsp;Jr--&nbsp;who has no experience in politics but was reportedly seeking White House security clearance--told a real estate conference in 2008, &quot;Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia&quot;. The Washington Post published this quote, attributing it to an account of the conference published on the website of&nbsp;a trade publication,&nbsp;eTurboNews.

While the FBI and CIA are investigating&nbsp;the links between Donald Trump and Russia, the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/electoral-college-voters-wont-receive-intel-briefings-about-russian-election-interference-before-vote-10256">Electoral College will not be briefed </a>by these American intelligence agencies before voting on whether or not to make Trump the president Monday.

There will be information connecting&nbsp;Trump to&nbsp;Russia that they, and we, do not know.

(WION)
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A day before the Electoral College votes for US president, critics fear Trump's deep, numerous and secret connections to Russia

Throughout the 2016 US election, Donald Trump has fawned over Vladimir Putin, but has repeatedly denied knowing him personally. But in 2013, Trump was filmed admitting that he does "have a relationship" with Vladimir Putin Trump caught in a HUGE lie on his relationship with Putin. Watch & share this before the Electoral College votes tomorrow (Monday). pic.twitter.com/GVBnvSMVdO — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 18, 2016 × Donald Trump has brazenly refused to release his tax returns, falsely saying that an audit he was under prevented him from doing so. Then his son Donald Trump Jr, an official Trump Team member, gave the real reason--that releasing his tax returns would subject them to public scrutiny. Trump is the first presidential candidate in about 40 years to refuse this basic step towards transparency. Trump has also refused to divest himself from his private businesses before taking on the role of President, saying the business will be kept in the family--that is, it will be run by his children, who have already sat in on official meetings with national leaders and global tech giants. The prospect of Trump being hopelessly enmeshed in a series of conflict of interests, and even the fear that his presidency will be unconstitutional from his first day in office, are all too real fears. But because of Trump's secrecy and because this is all so unprecedented, it's hard to sort it out precisely. But the fears grow each time more public revelations link Trump, and the people in his administration, to Russia. A small sampling of Trump's Russian connections: Today it was reported that Trump's selection for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was once the director of a US-Russian oil company, and personally received rewards from Vladimir Putin. The Guardian reports that Tillerson is "close" to Igor Sechin, a hardliner ex-KGB member who heads Russia's state oil company, Rosneft. Tillerson also has no political experience whatsoever. Two major US intelligence agencies and the White House have stated explicitly that they believe Russian hackers intervened in the US election in order to favour Trump, and that this was personally approved by Vladmir Putin. Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager, quit during the election after evidence emerged that he lobbied for pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort initially denied the charge, which he called political propaganda. Other reports claim Manafort funnelled money so pro-Russian interests could secret lobby Washington without making their influence known. NBC reported in August that Manafort was a key player in multi-million dollar business deals between Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, one of them for a close Putin ally with alleged ties to organised crime. Donald Trump's son Donald Jr-- who has no experience in politics but was reportedly seeking White House security clearance--told a real estate conference in 2008, "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia". The Washington Post published this quote, attributing it to an account of the conference published on the website of a trade publication, eTurboNews. While the FBI and CIA are investigating the links between Donald Trump and Russia, the Electoral College will not be briefed by these American intelligence agencies before voting on whether or not to make Trump the president Monday. There will be information connecting Trump to Russia that they, and we, do not know. (WION)

Watch: Video shows Trump lying, admits he has a 'relationship' with Vladimir Putin

Rex Tillerson was named in a tax haven leak as the long-time&nbsp;director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil company,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/18/leak-rex-tillerson-director-bahamas-based-us-russian-oil-company"> The Guardian</a> reports.

Tillerson is currently the chief executive of ExxonMobil, but&nbsp;in 1998 he became the director of their Russian subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, The Guardian reports. His name, &quot;RW&quot;, appears next to officers based at Houston, Texas, in Moscow, and in the far east of Russia in Sakhalin.

The leaked document comes from the corporate registry in the Bahamas,&nbsp;one of the 1.3 million files given to the German newspaper S<a data-link-name="in body link" draggable="true" href="http://www.sueddeutsche.de/">&uuml;</a>ddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous source, The Guardian reports.

There&#39;s nothing illegal about Tillerson&#39;s previous appointment, but it raises questions over his&nbsp;Russian ties, and is just one more major thing connecting Donald Trump to Russia.&nbsp;

Exxon Mobil is the world&#39;s largest oil company, and for years have been looking towards Russia&#39;s vast deposits of natural resources.

&nbsp;

Conflict of Interest?

On Sunday, Exxon said Tillerson was no longer the director of Exxon Neftegas after becoming CEO in 2006, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;But he has since been linked to&nbsp;Russia in other ways.

Vladimir Putin&nbsp;awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013, and is close with Igor Sechin, who The Guardian characterises as&nbsp;a &quot;hardliner&quot; and&nbsp;ex-KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti--the&nbsp;secret police in the former Soviet Union) member who is the second most powerful person inside the Kremlin.

In 2011, ExxonMobil and Russia&#39;s state oil company Rosneft made a deal to explore the Kara Sea in Russia&#39;s Arctic, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

The deal was shelved due to the sanctions imposed after Russia annexed&nbsp;the eastern Ukrainian state of Crimea.&nbsp;American firms are banned from sharing technology related to the oil industry under the sanctions, and Exxon was suppsed to stop drilling, but the company pleaded successfully for the ban to be delayed by a few weeks, and in this time discovered 750 million barrels of new oil, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

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Tillerson criticised US government policy, saying in 2014 at Exxon&#39;s annual meeting that &quot;we do not support sanctions&quot;, The Guardian reports.

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&nbsp;

During the election, Trump expressed certainty,&nbsp;promising&nbsp;that Russia would never enter&nbsp;Crimea, seemingly unaware that it had already happened. Then Trump claimed without evidence&nbsp;that Crimeans prefer to be a part of Russia.

When asked this year by German reporter Mareike Aden whether Trump as president would recognise Crimea and lift sanctions imposed against Moscow, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/07/trump-crimea/493280/">he responded</a> &quot;Yes. We would be looking at that&quot;.

Investors widely assume that the new Trump administration will drop sanctions, allowing the drilling deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft to continue, which is expected to increase the prices of Exxon shares by tens of billions of dollars, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

They also report that Tillerson&#39;s currently owns $218 million worth of ExxonMobil stock, and has a pension valued at $70 million.

&nbsp;

Some of Trump&#39;s Russian ties

Donald Trump has called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails. It is thought that no presidential candidate has ever openly called on a foreign country to sabotage&nbsp;a rival politician. Reuters cites two government sources as saying that&nbsp;American intelligence agencies--the CIA (central intelligence agencies)&nbsp;and FBI (federal bureau of investigation)--both agree that the Russian hacks were aimed at helping Trump win the election.

Trump complained loudly and repeatedly that the US election was rigged before he won it, but has since dismissed claims that his win was anything but pure. Trump has called the effort to ensure the election recount in different states &quot;<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/26/politics/clinton-campaign-recount/">a scam&quot;.</a>

While US policy under Obama has been to isolate Russia in response to invading Crimea and for supporting the Assad regime in Syria, Trump has<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/28/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-quotes/"> praised Putin for years</a>.

Trump has even defended Putin from the charge that the Russian president has ordered the killing of journalists, saying &quot;He&#39;s running his country, and at least he&#39;s a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also...&quot;.

Currently, Russia ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, the Demoratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, <a href="http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2016/jan/04/does-vladimir-putin-kill-journalists/">Politifact reports</a>. Since Putin was elected&nbsp;president in 2000, authorities raided a major television network&nbsp;and arrested the&nbsp;owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, for fraud, releasing him only after he agreed to sell his company&nbsp;to state media, Politifact reports.

As many as&nbsp;34&nbsp;journalists have been murdered in the country under Putin, Politifact reports. This number could be higher does not include journalists killed while reporting on something dangerous, like war or riots, or where the motives of the murder are unclear. In the same amount of time, three journalists were killed in the US.

<a href="http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2016/jan/04/does-vladimir-putin-kill-journalists/">Politifact quotes</a> Nina Ognianova, the coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists&#39; Europe and Central Asia program, who said journalists covering corruption, human rights abuses, organised crime and official wrongdoing can be &quot;slain with impunity in Putin&#39;s Russia&quot;.

Trump&#39;s decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, despite Tillerson&#39;s&nbsp;total lack of political experience, is only his&nbsp;latest&nbsp;Russian connection and will surely&nbsp;receive further scrutiny.

(WION)
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
</aside>

Rex Tillerson, non-partisan critics worry, has many serious ties to Russia. This latest connection only raises more questions

Rex Tillerson was named in a tax haven leak as the long-time director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil company, The Guardian reports. Tillerson is currently the chief executive of ExxonMobil, but in 1998 he became the director of their Russian subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, The Guardian reports. His name, "RW", appears next to officers based at Houston, Texas, in Moscow, and in the far east of Russia in Sakhalin. The leaked document comes from the corporate registry in the Bahamas, one of the 1.3 million files given to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous source, The Guardian reports. There's nothing illegal about Tillerson's previous appointment, but it raises questions over his Russian ties, and is just one more major thing connecting Donald Trump to Russia. Exxon Mobil is the world's largest oil company, and for years have been looking towards Russia's vast deposits of natural resources. Conflict of Interest? On Sunday, Exxon said Tillerson was no longer the director of Exxon Neftegas after becoming CEO in 2006, The Guardian reports. But he has since been linked to Russia in other ways. Vladimir Putin awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013, and is close with Igor Sechin, who The Guardian characterises as a "hardliner" and ex-KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti--the secret police in the former Soviet Union) member who is the second most powerful person inside the Kremlin. In 2011, ExxonMobil and Russia's state oil company Rosneft made a deal to explore the Kara Sea in Russia's Arctic, The Guardian reports. The deal was shelved due to the sanctions imposed after Russia annexed the eastern Ukrainian state of Crimea. American firms are banned from sharing technology related to the oil industry under the sanctions, and Exxon was suppsed to stop drilling, but the company pleaded successfully for the ban to be delayed by a few weeks, and in this time discovered 750 million barrels of new oil, The Guardian reports. Tillerson criticised US government policy, saying in 2014 at Exxon's annual meeting that "we do not support sanctions", The Guardian reports. During the election, Trump expressed certainty, promising that Russia would never enter Crimea, seemingly unaware that it had already happened. Then Trump claimed without evidence that Crimeans prefer to be a part of Russia. When asked this year by German reporter Mareike Aden whether Trump as president would recognise Crimea and lift sanctions imposed against Moscow, he responded "Yes. We would be looking at that". Investors widely assume that the new Trump administration will drop sanctions, allowing the drilling deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft to continue, which is expected to increase the prices of Exxon shares by tens of billions of dollars, The Guardian reports. They also report that Tillerson's currently owns $218 million worth of ExxonMobil stock, and has a pension valued at $70 million. Some of Trump's Russian ties Donald Trump has called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's emails. It is thought that no presidential candidate has ever openly called on a foreign country to sabotage a rival politician. Reuters cites two government sources as saying that American intelligence agencies--the CIA (central intelligence agencies) and FBI (federal bureau of investigation)--both agree that the Russian hacks were aimed at helping Trump win the election. Trump complained loudly and repeatedly that the US election was rigged before he won it, but has since dismissed claims that his win was anything but pure. Trump has called the effort to ensure the election recount in different states "a scam". While US policy under Obama has been to isolate Russia in response to invading Crimea and for supporting the Assad regime in Syria, Trump has praised Putin for years. Trump has even defended Putin from the charge that the Russian president has ordered the killing of journalists, saying "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also...". Currently, Russia ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, the Demoratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, Politifact reports. Since Putin was elected president in 2000, authorities raided a major television network and arrested the owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, for fraud, releasing him only after he agreed to sell his company to state media, Politifact reports. As many as 34 journalists have been murdered in the country under Putin, Politifact reports. This number could be higher does not include journalists killed while reporting on something dangerous, like war or riots, or where the motives of the murder are unclear. In the same amount of time, three journalists were killed in the US. Politifact quotes Nina Ognianova, the coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists' Europe and Central Asia program, who said journalists covering corruption, human rights abuses, organised crime and official wrongdoing can be "slain with impunity in Putin's Russia". Trump's decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, despite Tillerson's total lack of political experience, is only his latest Russian connection and will surely receive further scrutiny. (WION)

Trump's State Secretary pick directed US-Russian oil company, leak reveals

Emboldened by Donald Trump&#39;s imminent arrival at the White House, abortion opponents are mobilising, taking severe measures that some say threaten constitutional freedoms.

Pro-choice activists, who support a woman&#39;s right to choose to use contraception or have a legal abortion, suffered setbacks in several US states in recent days.

In Ohio, Republican Governor John Kasich signed on Tuesday a law banning abortion after the twentieth&nbsp;week of pregnancy, making no exception for rape, incest or foetal anomaly. The bill makes only limited concessions in cases where the pregnancy could harm the woman&#39;s health.

The move is a risky bet. The US Supreme Court has already ruled that states cannot prevent a woman from having an abortion before the foetus is viable, experts say that threshold occurs around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Just over one per cent of abortions in the US are currently carried out after 20 weeks, according to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute.

But available data does not seem conclusive on how many abortions after 20 weeks take place for birth defects or other reasons.As alarming as the measure may be for abortion backers, it could have been worse.&nbsp;

A separate, so-called &quot;heartbeat bill&quot; would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, even though women are often unaware they are pregnant at that time. But Kasich vetoed the measure.

In Tennessee, a woman who tried to abort her foetus at 24 weeks using a metal clothes hanger was recently slapped with bolstered criminal charges.

For the pro-choice camp, the case illustrates the growing fear that women denied an abortion may resort to desperate, clandestine measures that had not been prevalent for decades.

On the other side of the debate, anti-abortion activists feel wind in their wings with conservative Trump set to take power January 20.

The Americans United for Life group published a report of more than 200 pages detailing the &quot;horrific abortion clinic conditions,&quot; finding that 227 abortion providers in 32 states were cited for more than 1,400 health and safety &quot;deficiencies&quot; between 2008 and 2016, and had violated hundreds of state laws.&nbsp;

The study aims to provide state lawmakers, ahead of 2017 legislative sessions, with &quot;an important tool for explaining the critical need for enhanced health and safety standards,&quot; said Denise Burke, an AUL vice president and the report&#39;s author.

Supporters are encouraged to help pass anti-abortion bills.&nbsp;

Conservative Republicans and evangelical Christians opposed to abortion are holding out hopes for the kind of change they want to see under a Trump administration.

Trump&#39;s Vice president-elect Mike Pence, and his pick to head the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions, both oppose abortion rights.&nbsp;

And incoming Health Secretary Tom Price is expected to lead a crusade against family planning and health care plan reimbursements for contraception.

Trump himself has vowed to nominate Supreme Court justices strongly opposed to abortion, which he claims would &quot;automatically&quot; overturn the high court&#39;s landmark Roe v&nbsp;Wade decision of 1973.

There is nothing automatic about Supreme Court reversals, which are not common. But Trump stands a solid chance of pushing through a conservative agenda at the most powerful court in the land, with one seat on the nine-member panel currently left vacant and one or more others likely to come due to the advanced age of some justices.

Ever since the Roe v&nbsp;Wade decision was handed down in 1973, conservative activists have repeatedly sought to raise barriers for women seeking an abortion.&nbsp;

Oklahoma state&#39;s high court on Tuesday rejected a new law that required abortion clinic doctors to have admission rights for their patients at a local hospital within 30 miles (48 kilometres).&nbsp;

Earlier this month in Texas, a judge suspended a law that required abortion clinics to cremate or bury foetal remains after abortions.

But the US Supreme Court had strongly reaffirmed in June women&#39;s rights to an abortion, a hot-button issue that has incessantly torn at the US social fabric. That ruling could be the last major victory for the pro-choice camp for a long time.

(AFP)

Ohio's Republican governor recenly signed a law banning abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, even in case of rape or foetal anomalyj

Emboldened by Donald Trump's imminent arrival at the White House, abortion opponents are mobilising, taking severe measures that some say threaten constitutional freedoms. Pro-choice activists, who support a woman's right to choose to use contraception or have a legal abortion, suffered setbacks in several US states in recent days. In Ohio, Republican Governor John Kasich signed on Tuesday a law banning abortion after the twentieth week of pregnancy, making no exception for rape, incest or foetal anomaly. The bill makes only limited concessions in cases where the pregnancy could harm the woman's health. The move is a risky bet. The US Supreme Court has already ruled that states cannot prevent a woman from having an abortion before the foetus is viable, experts say that threshold occurs around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Just over one per cent of abortions in the US are currently carried out after 20 weeks, according to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute. But available data does not seem conclusive on how many abortions after 20 weeks take place for birth defects or other reasons.As alarming as the measure may be for abortion backers, it could have been worse. A separate, so-called "heartbeat bill" would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, even though women are often unaware they are pregnant at that time. But Kasich vetoed the measure. In Tennessee, a woman who tried to abort her foetus at 24 weeks using a metal clothes hanger was recently slapped with bolstered criminal charges. For the pro-choice camp, the case illustrates the growing fear that women denied an abortion may resort to desperate, clandestine measures that had not been prevalent for decades. On the other side of the debate, anti-abortion activists feel wind in their wings with conservative Trump set to take power January 20. The Americans United for Life group published a report of more than 200 pages detailing the "horrific abortion clinic conditions," finding that 227 abortion providers in 32 states were cited for more than 1,400 health and safety "deficiencies" between 2008 and 2016, and had violated hundreds of state laws. The study aims to provide state lawmakers, ahead of 2017 legislative sessions, with "an important tool for explaining the critical need for enhanced health and safety standards," said Denise Burke, an AUL vice president and the report's author. Supporters are encouraged to help pass anti-abortion bills. Conservative Republicans and evangelical Christians opposed to abortion are holding out hopes for the kind of change they want to see under a Trump administration. Trump's Vice president-elect Mike Pence, and his pick to head the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions, both oppose abortion rights. And incoming Health Secretary Tom Price is expected to lead a crusade against family planning and health care plan reimbursements for contraception. Trump himself has vowed to nominate Supreme Court justices strongly opposed to abortion, which he claims would "automatically" overturn the high court's landmark Roe v Wade decision of 1973. There is nothing automatic about Supreme Court reversals, which are not common. But Trump stands a solid chance of pushing through a conservative agenda at the most powerful court in the land, with one seat on the nine-member panel currently left vacant and one or more others likely to come due to the advanced age of some justices. Ever since the Roe v Wade decision was handed down in 1973, conservative activists have repeatedly sought to raise barriers for women seeking an abortion. Oklahoma state's high court on Tuesday rejected a new law that required abortion clinic doctors to have admission rights for their patients at a local hospital within 30 miles (48 kilometres). Earlier this month in Texas, a judge suspended a law that required abortion clinics to cremate or bury foetal remains after abortions. But the US Supreme Court had strongly reaffirmed in June women's rights to an abortion, a hot-button issue that has incessantly torn at the US social fabric. That ruling could be the last major victory for the pro-choice camp for a long time. (AFP)

Trump inspires American anti-abortionists

Donald Trump&#39;s fiercest critics may be dreaming of a last-minute revolt, but the Electoral College, a peculiarly American institution, appears near-certain on Monday to select the 70-year-old real estate mogul as the 45th US president.

Its detractors -- and they are many -- have denounced an electoral system that flies in the face of the venerated &quot;one man, one vote&quot; principle, and which perversely encourages presidential candidates to campaign in only a few key states while ignoring whole swaths of the country. &nbsp;

But despite the torrent of criticism this method has faced for decades, no reform attempt has ever succeeded.

When American voters cast their ballots on November 8, they did not in fact directly elect the next occupant of the White House. Instead, they picked 538 &quot;electors&quot; charged with translating their wishes into reality.&nbsp;

Trump won a clear majority of those electors -- 306, with 270 needed for election -- despite dramatically losing the popular vote to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

A similar scenario took place in 2000, when George W. Bush became president even though Democrat Al Gore won more popular votes.&nbsp;

However, the gap is far more dramatic in 2016, with Clinton scoring nearly three million extra votes over Trump.

This Monday, electors will convene in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, to officially designate the next president and vice president.

Following an extraordinarily vitriolic campaign, this step in the electoral process -- normally little more than a formality -- has been thrust into the spotlight.

&#39;Faithless electors&#39;

Historically, electors only rarely defy the expressed wishes of the majority of voters in their district. And never have the votes of these &quot;faithless electors&quot; changed the outcome of a presidential election.

Still, some Democrats -- who see a Trump presidency as presenting an existential danger to American democracy -- are clinging to the slender hope that a few dozen Republican electors might decide not to vote for their party&#39;s populist leader.&nbsp;

Yet, should that happen, it would be up to the House of Representatives to designate the successor to Barack Obama. And Republicans hold a strong majority there.

An online petition calling on electors to reject Trump, has collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen (&quot;President Bartlet&quot; on the popular television series &quot;West Wing&quot;) recently released a video to goad electors to take that step. &nbsp;

&quot;You have the position, the authority and the opportunity to go down in the books as an American hero who changed the course of history,&quot; the celebrities say, addressing electors who have been thrust overnight from the shadows into the spotlight.

But these efforts appear to have almost no chance of succeeding: There is no evidence that the requisite 37 Republican electors will decide to abandon Trump. To date, only one of them, Christopher Suprum of Texas, has publicly announced his intention to stage such a revolt.&nbsp;

The future White House chief of staff, Reince Preibus, told Fox News Sunday that the pressure on the electoral college not to elect Trump is &quot;about Democrats that can&#39;t accept the outcome of the election. It&#39;s about delegitimizing the american system.&quot;

He added: &quot;We&#39;re very confident that everything is going to be very smooth tomorrow.&quot;

The final result may not be known on Monday, as states are given several days to report their numbers. The Congress will, in any case, announce the name of the official winner on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated in a solemn and pomp-filled ceremony outside the Capitol.

A &#39;disaster&#39; or a &#39;genius&#39;?

Asked about it at his final news conference of the year before leaving for a Hawaiian vacation, Barack Obama acknowledged that the system was &quot;a vestige, it&#39;s a carry-over from an earlier vision of how our federal government was going to work,&quot; and that it could disadvantage Democrats.&nbsp;

Still, the outgoing president urged his camp to draw needed lessons from their electoral failure and develop a strategy for the future rather than bemoaning the 2016 loss or trying to overturn it.

&quot;The truth of the matter is that if we have a strong message, if we&#39;re speaking to what the American people care about, typically, the popular vote and the Electoral College vote will align,&quot; he said in a clear allusion to his own presidential victories in 2008 and 2012.&nbsp;

David Pozen, a professor at Columbia Law School, sees at least one silver lining to the intense focus on the Electoral College: it will draw attention to the urgent need for change.&nbsp;

&quot;Either way, the renewed public interest in the Electoral College underscores the need to do away with this antiquated and fundamentally undemocratic institution,&quot; he said in an op-ed article in the New York Times.&nbsp;

In November 2000, Hillary Clinton, then the newly elected Democratic senator from New York, issued a clear call for an electoral reform that would result in direct, universal suffrage. &nbsp;

Trump, for his part, has radically changed his stance on the matter in just four years.&nbsp;

&quot;The Electoral College is a disaster for a democracy,&quot; he tweeted in November 2012.

Last month, just days after a victory that seemed to stun even him, he sounded a rather different note: &quot;The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different!&quot;

(AFP)

Electors will officially designate the next president and vice president on Monday

Donald Trump's fiercest critics may be dreaming of a last-minute revolt, but the Electoral College, a peculiarly American institution, appears near-certain on Monday to select the 70-year-old real estate mogul as the 45th US president. Its detractors -- and they are many -- have denounced an electoral system that flies in the face of the venerated "one man, one vote" principle, and which perversely encourages presidential candidates to campaign in only a few key states while ignoring whole swaths of the country. But despite the torrent of criticism this method has faced for decades, no reform attempt has ever succeeded. When American voters cast their ballots on November 8, they did not in fact directly elect the next occupant of the White House. Instead, they picked 538 "electors" charged with translating their wishes into reality. Trump won a clear majority of those electors -- 306, with 270 needed for election -- despite dramatically losing the popular vote to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. A similar scenario took place in 2000, when George W. Bush became president even though Democrat Al Gore won more popular votes. However, the gap is far more dramatic in 2016, with Clinton scoring nearly three million extra votes over Trump. This Monday, electors will convene in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, to officially designate the next president and vice president. Following an extraordinarily vitriolic campaign, this step in the electoral process -- normally little more than a formality -- has been thrust into the spotlight. 'Faithless electors' Historically, electors only rarely defy the expressed wishes of the majority of voters in their district. And never have the votes of these "faithless electors" changed the outcome of a presidential election. Still, some Democrats -- who see a Trump presidency as presenting an existential danger to American democracy -- are clinging to the slender hope that a few dozen Republican electors might decide not to vote for their party's populist leader. Yet, should that happen, it would be up to the House of Representatives to designate the successor to Barack Obama. And Republicans hold a strong majority there. An online petition calling on electors to reject Trump, has collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen ("President Bartlet" on the popular television series "West Wing") recently released a video to goad electors to take that step. "You have the position, the authority and the opportunity to go down in the books as an American hero who changed the course of history," the celebrities say, addressing electors who have been thrust overnight from the shadows into the spotlight. But these efforts appear to have almost no chance of succeeding: There is no evidence that the requisite 37 Republican electors will decide to abandon Trump. To date, only one of them, Christopher Suprum of Texas, has publicly announced his intention to stage such a revolt. The future White House chief of staff, Reince Preibus, told Fox News Sunday that the pressure on the electoral college not to elect Trump is "about Democrats that can't accept the outcome of the election. It's about delegitimizing the american system." He added: "We're very confident that everything is going to be very smooth tomorrow." The final result may not be known on Monday, as states are given several days to report their numbers. The Congress will, in any case, announce the name of the official winner on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated in a solemn and pomp-filled ceremony outside the Capitol. A 'disaster' or a 'genius'? Asked about it at his final news conference of the year before leaving for a Hawaiian vacation, Barack Obama acknowledged that the system was "a vestige, it's a carry-over from an earlier vision of how our federal government was going to work," and that it could disadvantage Democrats. Still, the outgoing president urged his camp to draw needed lessons from their electoral failure and develop a strategy for the future rather than bemoaning the 2016 loss or trying to overturn it. "The truth of the matter is that if we have a strong message, if we're speaking to what the American people care about, typically, the popular vote and the Electoral College vote will align," he said in a clear allusion to his own presidential victories in 2008 and 2012. David Pozen, a professor at Columbia Law School, sees at least one silver lining to the intense focus on the Electoral College: it will draw attention to the urgent need for change. "Either way, the renewed public interest in the Electoral College underscores the need to do away with this antiquated and fundamentally undemocratic institution," he said in an op-ed article in the New York Times. In November 2000, Hillary Clinton, then the newly elected Democratic senator from New York, issued a clear call for an electoral reform that would result in direct, universal suffrage. Trump, for his part, has radically changed his stance on the matter in just four years. "The Electoral College is a disaster for a democracy," he tweeted in November 2012. Last month, just days after a victory that seemed to stun even him, he sounded a rather different note: "The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different!" (AFP)

Electoral College, unloved but everpresent, prepares to anoint Trump

US President Barack Obama said on Friday it was fine for president-elect Donald Trump to review Washington&#39;s &quot;one-China&quot; policy toward Taiwan, but he cautioned that a shift could lead to significant consequences in the US&nbsp;relationship with Beijing.

&quot;For China, the issue of Taiwan is as important as anything on their docket,&quot; Obama told a news conference. &quot;The idea of one China is at the heart of their conception as a nation and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what ... the consequences are.&quot;

China lodged a diplomatic protest earlier this month after Trump, a Republican, spoke by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan.

The 10-minute telephone call was the first of its kind by a US&nbsp;president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of &quot;one China&quot;.

China considers Taiwan a wayward province, to be taken back by force if necessary.

Obama noted that, under the decades-old policy, China had recognised Taiwan was its own entity that did things its own way, while Taiwan had agreed that, with some autonomy, it would not declare independence.

&quot;That status quo, although not completely satisfactory to any of the parties involved, has kept the peace and allowed the Taiwanese to be a pretty successful ... economy and a people who have a high degree of self-determination,&quot; Obama said.

The Democratic president said he had advised Trump that foreign policy had to be conducted in a systematic, deliberate, intentional way.

&quot;There&#39;s probably no bilateral relationship that carries more significance and ... where there&#39;s also the potential, if that relationship breaks down or goes into a full conflict mode, that everybody is worse off,&quot; he said of the US-China ties.

He said Beijing would not treat a departure from US&nbsp;policy toward Taiwan lightly.

&quot;The Chinese will not treat that the way they&#39;ll treat some other issues. They won&#39;t even treat it the way they treat issues around the South China Sea, where we&#39;ve had a lot of tensions,&quot; he said.

Taiwan reiterated it was committed to keeping the status quo in its relations with China and in promoting peace and stability, and thanked Washington for deepening US-Taiwan relations.

A statement from Taiwan&#39;s Presidential Office said Tsai&#39;s government looked forward to strengthening that relationship under Trump&#39;s administration.

(Reuters)

He said he had advised Trump that foreign policy had to be conducted in a systematic, deliberate, and intentional way

US President Barack Obama said on Friday it was fine for president-elect Donald Trump to review Washington's "one-China" policy toward Taiwan, but he cautioned that a shift could lead to significant consequences in the US relationship with Beijing. "For China, the issue of Taiwan is as important as anything on their docket," Obama told a news conference. "The idea of one China is at the heart of their conception as a nation and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what ... the consequences are." China lodged a diplomatic protest earlier this month after Trump, a Republican, spoke by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan. The 10-minute telephone call was the first of its kind by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China". China considers Taiwan a wayward province, to be taken back by force if necessary. Obama noted that, under the decades-old policy, China had recognised Taiwan was its own entity that did things its own way, while Taiwan had agreed that, with some autonomy, it would not declare independence. "That status quo, although not completely satisfactory to any of the parties involved, has kept the peace and allowed the Taiwanese to be a pretty successful ... economy and a people who have a high degree of self-determination," Obama said. The Democratic president said he had advised Trump that foreign policy had to be conducted in a systematic, deliberate, intentional way. "There's probably no bilateral relationship that carries more significance and ... where there's also the potential, if that relationship breaks down or goes into a full conflict mode, that everybody is worse off," he said of the US-China ties. He said Beijing would not treat a departure from US policy toward Taiwan lightly. "The Chinese will not treat that the way they'll treat some other issues. They won't even treat it the way they treat issues around the South China Sea, where we've had a lot of tensions," he said. Taiwan reiterated it was committed to keeping the status quo in its relations with China and in promoting peace and stability, and thanked Washington for deepening US-Taiwan relations. A statement from Taiwan's Presidential Office said Tsai's government looked forward to strengthening that relationship under Trump's administration. (Reuters)

Obama says China would not take change in US policy on Taiwan lightly

US President Barack Obama on Friday said he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to &quot;cut it out&quot; after Democratic Party emails were hacked.&nbsp;

During a pre-Christmas press briefing, Obama said in the sidelines of the G 20 meetings held in China he asked Putin to stop interefering in US politics.&nbsp;

He added that after the warning there was no more evidence of Russian hacking.&nbsp;

Russia&nbsp;denied the accusations.&nbsp;

&quot;The intelligence that I&#39;ve seen gives me great confidence in their assessment that the Russians carried out this hack,&quot; Obama said refering to the latest evidence by CIA that Russia meddled in the November 8 presidential election.

Obama also said he hoped Trump would be concerned over Russia and that this must not become a &quot;political football&quot; between Democrats and Republicans.&nbsp;

He cautioned Trump that change in US policy towards Taiwan will have consequences from China.

&quot;For China, the issue of Taiwan is as important as anything on their docket.&quot;

&nbsp;&quot;The idea of one China is at the heart their conception as a nation and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what the consequences are.&quot;

&#39;United in horror&#39; 
Obama said the world was &quot;united in horror&quot; at the battle in Aleppo and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies were responsible for atrocities committed against the people in Syria.&nbsp;

&quot;Responsibility for this brutality lies in one place alone: with the Assad regime and its allies Russia and Iran. And this blood and these atrocities are on their hands.&quot;

The President also defended US involvement in Syria saying he understood the need to take action against what was happening but&nbsp;&quot;Unless we were all in and willing to take over Syria, we were going to have problems.&quot; &nbsp;Adding it would need &quot;putting large numbers of US&nbsp;troops on the ground, uninvited, without any international law mandate.&quot;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

Obama said the intelligence gives him 'great confidence' that Russians carried out the hack

US President Barack Obama on Friday said he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to "cut it out" after Democratic Party emails were hacked. During a pre-Christmas press briefing, Obama said in the sidelines of the G 20 meetings held in China he asked Putin to stop interefering in US politics. He added that after the warning there was no more evidence of Russian hacking. Russia denied the accusations. "The intelligence that I've seen gives me great confidence in their assessment that the Russians carried out this hack," Obama said refering to the latest evidence by CIA that Russia meddled in the November 8 presidential election. Obama also said he hoped Trump would be concerned over Russia and that this must not become a "political football" between Democrats and Republicans. He cautioned Trump that change in US policy towards Taiwan will have consequences from China. "For China, the issue of Taiwan is as important as anything on their docket." "The idea of one China is at the heart their conception as a nation and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what the consequences are." 'United in horror' Obama said the world was "united in horror" at the battle in Aleppo and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies were responsible for atrocities committed against the people in Syria. "Responsibility for this brutality lies in one place alone: with the Assad regime and its allies Russia and Iran. And this blood and these atrocities are on their hands." The President also defended US involvement in Syria saying he understood the need to take action against what was happening but "Unless we were all in and willing to take over Syria, we were going to have problems." Adding it would need "putting large numbers of US troops on the ground, uninvited, without any international law mandate." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Warned Putin to stop cyber attacks, says Obama

When is a tweet just a tweet?

A debate is percolating in the US&nbsp;State Department, where diplomats measure their words with demitasse spoons, on how to handle Donald Trump&#39;s Twitter commentary if he continues to tweet after he becomes US&nbsp;president on January 20.

By tradition, anything the president says is regarded as US&nbsp;policy and can be repeated to foreign officials without fear of contradiction, at least from the White House.

But Trump has questioned bedrock planks of US&nbsp;policy, such as whether Taiwan is part of &quot;one China&quot; or whether Washington would defend NATO allies, causing consternation at home and abroad.

&quot;I have never hesitated to take anything that POTUS said in speeches, press conferences, and other remarks as anything but policy,&quot; a midlevel diplomat who has served on four continents wrote December 7 on an internal State Department discussion board, in reference to the President of the United States (POTUS).

&quot;But what about tweets?&quot; he asked.

&quot;Given the president-elect&#39;s penchant for using (Twitter) in a much more spontaneous context than most other USG officials, how should FSOs regard those statements?&quot; he added, referring to US&nbsp;government (USG) foreign service officers (FSOs).

&quot;In theory, we all should have a firm grasp of what is hyberbole (sic) and what is not, but in practice we should not be so sure. I for one am done making assumptions in this area for at least the next four years,&quot; the diplomat added.

He then appealed to the State Department&#39;s Bureau of Public Affairs to issue an ALDAC, or formal message to &quot;All Diplomatic and Consular Posts&quot;, clarifying matters.

The post, titled &quot;Is a Tweet policy?&quot; on &quot;The Sounding Board&quot;, a forum on the State Department&#39;s intranet, prompted thoughtful, though equally perplexed, comments.

Another official wrote that he was confident President Barack Obama&#39;s comments are to be taken &quot;seriously and literally&quot;, Trump may want his tweets to be taken both &quot;seriously and figuratively,&quot; he wrote.

&quot;Assuming there is a strategy here, it would seem that it would be to create a sense of ambiguity around issues previously thought to be settled for the purpose of leveraging a better deal to advance USG interests,&quot; he added. &quot;Miscommunication may be the very purpose of the President Elect&#39;s tweets.&quot;

A spokesman for the State Department said it would have no comment on how the next administration and president may use social media.

Obama has tweeted since 2015 from the account @POTUS.

Rather than suggesting specific policies, Obama used the handle to encourage Americans to vote, to cheerlead for Hillary Clinton, Trump&#39;s election opponent, and to remember the recently deceased, including writer Elie Wiesel and golfer Arnold Palmer.

From his Twitter account, @realdonaldtrump, Trump has mocked Clinton as &quot;Crooked Hillary,&quot; attacked a former Miss Universe and sniped at the parents of a Muslim American US&nbsp;Army captain who died in Iraq after the soldier&#39;s father spoke against him.

On November 27, he tweeted &quot;I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally&quot; but provided no evidence for the claim, which electoral officials have denied. Trump lost the popular vote by close to three million votes.

The president-elect has not said definitively whether he will continue tweeting after January 20. Trump&#39;s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A third official said the entire government would need to deal with the issue to &quot;limit the amount of miscommunication a specific POTUS tweet could engender&quot;.

&quot;As the great Bette Davis line goes, &#39;Fasten your seatbelt, it&#39;s going to be a bumpy ride,&#39;&quot; he wrote.

(Reuters)

Diplomats are debating on how to handle Donald Trump's Twitter commentary if he continues to tweet after he becomes US president

When is a tweet just a tweet? A debate is percolating in the US State Department, where diplomats measure their words with demitasse spoons, on how to handle Donald Trump's Twitter commentary if he continues to tweet after he becomes US president on January 20. By tradition, anything the president says is regarded as US policy and can be repeated to foreign officials without fear of contradiction, at least from the White House. But Trump has questioned bedrock planks of US policy, such as whether Taiwan is part of "one China" or whether Washington would defend NATO allies, causing consternation at home and abroad. "I have never hesitated to take anything that POTUS said in speeches, press conferences, and other remarks as anything but policy," a midlevel diplomat who has served on four continents wrote December 7 on an internal State Department discussion board, in reference to the President of the United States (POTUS). "But what about tweets?" he asked. "Given the president-elect's penchant for using (Twitter) in a much more spontaneous context than most other USG officials, how should FSOs regard those statements?" he added, referring to US government (USG) foreign service officers (FSOs). "In theory, we all should have a firm grasp of what is hyberbole (sic) and what is not, but in practice we should not be so sure. I for one am done making assumptions in this area for at least the next four years," the diplomat added. He then appealed to the State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs to issue an ALDAC, or formal message to "All Diplomatic and Consular Posts", clarifying matters. The post, titled "Is a Tweet policy?" on "The Sounding Board", a forum on the State Department's intranet, prompted thoughtful, though equally perplexed, comments. Another official wrote that he was confident President Barack Obama's comments are to be taken "seriously and literally", Trump may want his tweets to be taken both "seriously and figuratively," he wrote. "Assuming there is a strategy here, it would seem that it would be to create a sense of ambiguity around issues previously thought to be settled for the purpose of leveraging a better deal to advance USG interests," he added. "Miscommunication may be the very purpose of the President Elect's tweets." A spokesman for the State Department said it would have no comment on how the next administration and president may use social media. Obama has tweeted since 2015 from the account @POTUS. Rather than suggesting specific policies, Obama used the handle to encourage Americans to vote, to cheerlead for Hillary Clinton, Trump's election opponent, and to remember the recently deceased, including writer Elie Wiesel and golfer Arnold Palmer. From his Twitter account, @realdonaldtrump, Trump has mocked Clinton as "Crooked Hillary," attacked a former Miss Universe and sniped at the parents of a Muslim American US Army captain who died in Iraq after the soldier's father spoke against him. On November 27, he tweeted "I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally" but provided no evidence for the claim, which electoral officials have denied. Trump lost the popular vote by close to three million votes. The president-elect has not said definitively whether he will continue tweeting after January 20. Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A third official said the entire government would need to deal with the issue to "limit the amount of miscommunication a specific POTUS tweet could engender". "As the great Bette Davis line goes, 'Fasten your seatbelt, it's going to be a bumpy ride,'" he wrote. (Reuters)

'Is a Tweet policy?' US State Department officials ponder

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday nominated David Friedman -- an attorney and campaign adviser who backs moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem -- as ambassador to the Jewish state.

During the campaign Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer, voiced support for settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

In a Trump transition team statement Thursday announcing his appointment, Friedman said he wanted to work for peace and looked forward to &quot;doing this from the US embassy in Israel&#39;s eternal capital, Jerusalem.&quot;

During the campaign, Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and afterwards pledged to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s &quot;undivided capital&quot; if elected.

Trump has not repeated that promise since winning the presidency on November 8. But this week his adviser Kellyanne Conway called the move &quot;a very big priority&quot; for him.

The move would break with Washington&#39;s policy of maintaining its diplomatic presence in Tel Aviv.&nbsp;

The US and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital -- the city&#39;s status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump did not specifically comment on the potential relocation in the statement Thursday. He said Friedman would &quot;maintain the special relationship&quot; between the US and Israel.

Friedman has close ties to Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which much of the international community consider illegal.

The leftist pro-Israel, US-based organisation J Street sharply criticised Trump&#39;s nomination of Friedman, calling the choice &quot;reckless.&quot;

&quot;This nomination is reckless, putting America&#39;s reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk,&quot; the group&#39;s president Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement.

&quot;Friedman should be beyond the pale for Senators considering who should represent the United States in Israel.&quot;

Asked during the campaign whether he believed in a two-state solution, the basis of more than two decades of peace negotiations, Friedman had said Trump was &quot;tremendously sceptical&quot;.

&quot;A Trump administration will never pressure Israel into a two-state solution or any other solution that is against the wishes of the Israeli people,&quot; Friedman told a Trump rally in Jerusalem in October.

The Israeli right has welcomed such statements and seized on Trump&#39;s victory to promote its cause -- including, for some, a call to bury the two-state solution once and for all.

(AFP)

During the election campaign, Friedman voiced support for settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday nominated David Friedman -- an attorney and campaign adviser who backs moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem -- as ambassador to the Jewish state. During the campaign Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer, voiced support for settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. In a Trump transition team statement Thursday announcing his appointment, Friedman said he wanted to work for peace and looked forward to "doing this from the US embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem." During the campaign, Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and afterwards pledged to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital" if elected. Trump has not repeated that promise since winning the presidency on November 8. But this week his adviser Kellyanne Conway called the move "a very big priority" for him. The move would break with Washington's policy of maintaining its diplomatic presence in Tel Aviv. The US and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- the city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump did not specifically comment on the potential relocation in the statement Thursday. He said Friedman would "maintain the special relationship" between the US and Israel. Friedman has close ties to Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which much of the international community consider illegal. The leftist pro-Israel, US-based organisation J Street sharply criticised Trump's nomination of Friedman, calling the choice "reckless." "This nomination is reckless, putting America's reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk," the group's president Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement. "Friedman should be beyond the pale for Senators considering who should represent the United States in Israel." Asked during the campaign whether he believed in a two-state solution, the basis of more than two decades of peace negotiations, Friedman had said Trump was "tremendously sceptical". "A Trump administration will never pressure Israel into a two-state solution or any other solution that is against the wishes of the Israeli people," Friedman told a Trump rally in Jerusalem in October. The Israeli right has welcomed such statements and seized on Trump's victory to promote its cause -- including, for some, a call to bury the two-state solution once and for all. (AFP)

Trump taps adviser David Friedman as US ambassador to Israel

Officials in 24 states have urged US President-elect Donald Trump to kill the centrepiece of President Barack Obama&#39;s strategy to combat climate change and shut down coal-fired power plants.

The coalition requested the incoming Republican government undo the Clean Power Plan enacted by the current Democratic administration. The law was designed to lower carbon emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants by 2030 to 32 per cent below 2005 levels.

The Supreme Court has ordered a delay in implementation until legal challenges to the regulation are completed.

The group, headed by West Virginia attorney general Patrick Morrisey and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, suggests Congress take action to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from drafting similar regulations in the future.

&quot;The order (to withdraw the plan) should explain that it is the administration&#39;s view that the (Clean Power Plan) is unlawful and that EPA lacks authority to enforce it. The executive order is necessary to send an immediate and strong message to States and regulated entities that the administration will not enforce the rule,&quot; according to Morrisey.

Trump&#39;s potential Cabinet is filling with nominees from top fossil fuel-producing states. He tapped Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an ardent opponent of Obama&#39;s measures to curb climate change, to run the Environmental Protection Agency and Rick Perry, a climate sceptic and former governor of Texas, to head the Department of Energy.

Trump has promised to revive oil and gas drilling and coal mining by cutting back on federal regulations. He also has said he would pull the United States out of a global deal to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, which an overwhelming number of scientists say contribute to changes to the climate that are leading to sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.

(Reuters)

The group has suggested that Congress take action to to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from drafting similar regulations

Officials in 24 states have urged US President-elect Donald Trump to kill the centrepiece of President Barack Obama's strategy to combat climate change and shut down coal-fired power plants. The coalition requested the incoming Republican government undo the Clean Power Plan enacted by the current Democratic administration. The law was designed to lower carbon emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants by 2030 to 32 per cent below 2005 levels. The Supreme Court has ordered a delay in implementation until legal challenges to the regulation are completed. The group, headed by West Virginia attorney general Patrick Morrisey and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, suggests Congress take action to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from drafting similar regulations in the future. "The order (to withdraw the plan) should explain that it is the administration's view that the (Clean Power Plan) is unlawful and that EPA lacks authority to enforce it. The executive order is necessary to send an immediate and strong message to States and regulated entities that the administration will not enforce the rule," according to Morrisey. Trump's potential Cabinet is filling with nominees from top fossil fuel-producing states. He tapped Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an ardent opponent of Obama's measures to curb climate change, to run the Environmental Protection Agency and Rick Perry, a climate sceptic and former governor of Texas, to head the Department of Energy. Trump has promised to revive oil and gas drilling and coal mining by cutting back on federal regulations. He also has said he would pull the United States out of a global deal to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, which an overwhelming number of scientists say contribute to changes to the climate that are leading to sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms. (Reuters)

Coalition of 24 states urges to kill Obama's carbon emission plan

The White House on Thursday pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin&#39;s direct involvement in&nbsp;cyber attacks designed to impact the US election, dramatically upping the stakes in a dispute&nbsp;between the world&#39;s leading nuclear powers.

Publicly accusing Putin puts the White House under even greater pressure to respond forcefully to&nbsp;interference that may have swayed a tight November election between Republican President-elect&nbsp;Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Obama will hold a news conference Friday at 2:15 pm (1915 GMT) before leaving for a vacation in&nbsp;Hawaii. He is expected to be peppered with questions about the hacking dispute.

&quot;I don&#39;t think things happen in the Russian government of this consequence without Vladimir Putin&nbsp;knowing about it,&quot; said Ben Rhodes, a top adviser to President Barack Obama.

&quot;Everything we know about how Russia operates and how Putin controls that government would suggest&nbsp;that, again, when you&#39;re talking about a significant cyber intrusion like this, we&#39;re talking about&nbsp;the highest levels of government,&quot; he told MSNBC television.

&quot;And ultimately, Vladimir Putin is the official responsible for the actions of the Russian&nbsp;government.&quot;

His comments were echoed by White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who said that the decision by US&nbsp;intelligence agencies in October to publicly blame &quot;Russia&#39;s senior-most officials&quot; was not meant to&nbsp;be &quot;particularly subtle.&quot;

But blaming Putin now also puts the White House on a collision course with Trump himself, who&nbsp;continues to question Russian involvement in hacks of Democratic Party emails that were unflattering&nbsp;to Clinton.

&quot;If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did&nbsp;they only complain after Hillary lost?&quot; he tweeted.

&#39;Ridiculous nonsense&#39;

The 70-year-old billionaire-turned-incoming president appeared increasingly isolated in his stance,&nbsp;which runs against US intelligence estimates.

The conclusions by key bodies including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of&nbsp;Investigation have been accepted throughout the government, including among top members of Trump&#39;s&nbsp;own party.

In just five weeks, Trump will be in charge of those agencies when he succeeds Obama on January 20.

On Wednesday, senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he was informed by the FBI in August&nbsp;that his own campaign had been hacked.&nbsp;

&quot;My goal is to put on President Trump&#39;s desk crippling sanctions against Russia. They need to pay a&nbsp;price,&quot; he said.

Former CIA director Michael Hayden called Trump &quot;the only prominent American that has not yet&nbsp;conceded that the Russians conducted a massive covert influence campaign against the United States.&quot;

&quot;On this particular event, what Mr Trump says about it is the same thing that Mr Putin says about&nbsp;it.&quot;

The Kremlin rejected the allegations of Putin&#39;s involvement.&nbsp;

&quot;Ridiculous nonsense cannot have any basis,&quot; his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Thursday.

Trump&#39;s repeated dismissal of the CIA and FBI reports, and comments he made that former CIA&nbsp;officials call insulting to the intelligence community, threaten to undermine his relationship with&nbsp;an essential part of the government even before he takes office.

As for Trump&#39;s assertion that no one addressed the issue before his election win, Obama has&nbsp;repeatedly said both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee were&nbsp;apprised of the hacking and the Russian threat well before November 8.

&quot;We determined and announced in October that it was the consensus of all the intelligence agencies&nbsp;and law enforcement that organizations affiliated with Russian intelligence were responsible for the&nbsp;hacking of the DNC, materials that were being leaked,&quot; Obama said Monday.

&quot;So that was a month before the election -- this was not a secret.&quot;

In Congress, some senior legislators are demanding a broad investigation and declassification of at&nbsp;least some of the secret CIA and FBI reports.

(AFP)

Obama will hold a news conference Friday before leaving for a vacation in Hawaii. He's expected to be peppered with questions on the issue

The White House on Thursday pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin's direct involvement in cyber attacks designed to impact the US election, dramatically upping the stakes in a dispute between the world's leading nuclear powers. Publicly accusing Putin puts the White House under even greater pressure to respond forcefully to interference that may have swayed a tight November election between Republican President-elect Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Obama will hold a news conference Friday at 2:15 pm (1915 GMT) before leaving for a vacation in Hawaii. He is expected to be peppered with questions about the hacking dispute. "I don't think things happen in the Russian government of this consequence without Vladimir Putin knowing about it," said Ben Rhodes, a top adviser to President Barack Obama. "Everything we know about how Russia operates and how Putin controls that government would suggest that, again, when you're talking about a significant cyber intrusion like this, we're talking about the highest levels of government," he told MSNBC television. "And ultimately, Vladimir Putin is the official responsible for the actions of the Russian government." His comments were echoed by White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who said that the decision by US intelligence agencies in October to publicly blame "Russia's senior-most officials" was not meant to be "particularly subtle." But blaming Putin now also puts the White House on a collision course with Trump himself, who continues to question Russian involvement in hacks of Democratic Party emails that were unflattering to Clinton. "If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?" he tweeted. 'Ridiculous nonsense' The 70-year-old billionaire-turned-incoming president appeared increasingly isolated in his stance, which runs against US intelligence estimates. The conclusions by key bodies including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been accepted throughout the government, including among top members of Trump's own party. In just five weeks, Trump will be in charge of those agencies when he succeeds Obama on January 20. On Wednesday, senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he was informed by the FBI in August that his own campaign had been hacked. "My goal is to put on President Trump's desk crippling sanctions against Russia. They need to pay a price," he said. Former CIA director Michael Hayden called Trump "the only prominent American that has not yet conceded that the Russians conducted a massive covert influence campaign against the United States." "On this particular event, what Mr Trump says about it is the same thing that Mr Putin says about it." The Kremlin rejected the allegations of Putin's involvement. "Ridiculous nonsense cannot have any basis," his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Thursday. Trump's repeated dismissal of the CIA and FBI reports, and comments he made that former CIA officials call insulting to the intelligence community, threaten to undermine his relationship with an essential part of the government even before he takes office. As for Trump's assertion that no one addressed the issue before his election win, Obama has repeatedly said both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee were apprised of the hacking and the Russian threat well before November 8. "We determined and announced in October that it was the consensus of all the intelligence agencies and law enforcement that organizations affiliated with Russian intelligence were responsible for the hacking of the DNC, materials that were being leaked," Obama said Monday. "So that was a month before the election -- this was not a secret." In Congress, some senior legislators are demanding a broad investigation and declassification of at least some of the secret CIA and FBI reports. (AFP)

White House backs intelligence claims on Putin's role in election hack

Russian president Vladimir Putin was &quot;personally involved&quot; in interfering in the US presidential elections, NBC quoted senior US intelligence officials as saying.

The Russian president &quot;personally directed&quot; how hacked materials from Democrats were to be leaked and used, two senior intelligence officials with direct access to the information told NBC.

The intelligence came from diplomatic sources and spies working for US allies, the officials said.&nbsp;

The CIA believes Russians facilitated in leaking embarrassing emails about Democrats so as to undermine Hillary Clinton&#39;s chances of winning the elections, US media has reported previously.

The officials further said that US intelligence officials have a &quot;high level of confidence&quot; that Putin was personally involved in the covert campaign to interfere in the US elections. He did so because of his &quot;vendetta&quot; against Hillary Clinton, to show corruption in American politics and to &quot;split off key American allies by creating the image that [other countries] couldn&#39;t depend on the US&nbsp;to be a credible global leader anymore,&quot; a highly placed intelligence official told NBC.

&quot;He has had a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, that has been known for a long time because of what she said about his elections back in the parliamentary elections of 2011. He wants to discredit American democracy and make us weaker in terms of leading the liberal democratic order. And most certainly he likes President-elect Trump&#39;s views on Russia,&quot; Michael McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, told NBC.

A CIA secret report concluded that Russian interference in the election helped Donald Trump win the White House, The Washington Post reported last week.

The Post reported that individuals connected to the Russian government provided Wikileaks with hacked emails from the Democratic National Commitee emails and Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign chief John Podesta.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, has&nbsp;rejected Russian involvement in the elections.

(WION)

 
&nbsp;

Putin 'personally directed' how hacked materials from Democrats were to be leaked and used, two senior intelligence officials told NBC

Russian president Vladimir Putin was "personally involved" in interfering in the US presidential elections, NBC quoted senior US intelligence officials as saying. The Russian president "personally directed" how hacked materials from Democrats were to be leaked and used, two senior intelligence officials with direct access to the information told NBC. The intelligence came from diplomatic sources and spies working for US allies, the officials said. The CIA believes Russians facilitated in leaking embarrassing emails about Democrats so as to undermine Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the elections, US media has reported previously. The officials further said that US intelligence officials have a "high level of confidence" that Putin was personally involved in the covert campaign to interfere in the US elections. He did so because of his "vendetta" against Hillary Clinton, to show corruption in American politics and to "split off key American allies by creating the image that [other countries] couldn't depend on the US to be a credible global leader anymore," a highly placed intelligence official told NBC. "He has had a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, that has been known for a long time because of what she said about his elections back in the parliamentary elections of 2011. He wants to discredit American democracy and make us weaker in terms of leading the liberal democratic order. And most certainly he likes President-elect Trump's views on Russia," Michael McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, told NBC. A CIA secret report concluded that Russian interference in the election helped Donald Trump win the White House, The Washington Post reported last week. The Post reported that individuals connected to the Russian government provided Wikileaks with hacked emails from the Democratic National Commitee emails and Hillary Clinton's campaign chief John Podesta. Donald Trump, meanwhile, has rejected Russian involvement in the elections. (WION)

Putin 'personally' interfered in US elections: NBC

A California college professor who told her students that Donald Trump&#39;s election was an &quot;act of terrorism&quot; has gone into hiding after her comments prompted a firestorm and death threats.

Olga Perez Stable Cox, who teaches human sexuality at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, fled the state after a video of her rant -- secretly recorded by one of her students -- was posted on Facebook, prompting outrage and threats on her life, the Orange County Register reported on Monday.

The union that represents Cox said the teacher and college had been bombarded with more than 1,000 emails and Cox had also received threatening phone calls.

&quot;You want communism, go to Cuba... try to bring it to America and we&#39;ll put a (expletive) bullet in your face,&quot; one email read, according to union president Rob Schneiderman.

He said another email described Cox as a &quot;nutcase&quot; and vowed to make public her home address.

Cox in the video made public by the school&#39;s Young Republicans on December 6 likened Trump&#39;s election to &quot;an act of terrorism&quot; and criticised his cabinet picks and the vice president-elect, Mike Pence.

&quot;Our nation is divided. We have been assaulted. It is an act of terrorism,&quot; she told the students.

&quot;One of the most frightening things for me and most people in my life is that the people creating the assault are among us.&quot;

She added that the presidential election campaign and its outcome had left the country deeply divided &quot;as clearly as it was in civil war times.&quot;

Her comments were deemed offensive by many students, including the Young Republicans who filed a formal complaint and are circulating a petition to have her fired.

On Monday, several hundred students and faculty members gathered on campus in support of Cox, carrying signs advocating free speech.

A smaller group of students from the college Republicans were also on hand, continuously playing the controversial video from a computer.

Several said that they took issue not so much over Cox&#39;s comments but in the fact that she was pushing her political views in a classroom setting.

&quot;This has nothing to do with free speech. It&#39;s a professor overstepping her profession,&quot; Vincent Wetzel told the Register, describing Cox as an otherwise &quot;good teacher.&quot;

The teacher&#39;s union, meanwhile, has said the student who surreptitiously recorded Cox could face legal action as the video was in violation of the student code of conduct.

School and union officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Cox is expected to return to the classroom after the end-of-year holidays.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Olga Perez Stable Cox taught human sexuality at Orange Coast College was forced to leave the state after she received threats

A California college professor who told her students that Donald Trump's election was an "act of terrorism" has gone into hiding after her comments prompted a firestorm and death threats. Olga Perez Stable Cox, who teaches human sexuality at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, fled the state after a video of her rant -- secretly recorded by one of her students -- was posted on Facebook, prompting outrage and threats on her life, the Orange County Register reported on Monday. The union that represents Cox said the teacher and college had been bombarded with more than 1,000 emails and Cox had also received threatening phone calls. "You want communism, go to Cuba... try to bring it to America and we'll put a (expletive) bullet in your face," one email read, according to union president Rob Schneiderman. He said another email described Cox as a "nutcase" and vowed to make public her home address. Cox in the video made public by the school's Young Republicans on December 6 likened Trump's election to "an act of terrorism" and criticised his cabinet picks and the vice president-elect, Mike Pence. "Our nation is divided. We have been assaulted. It is an act of terrorism," she told the students. "One of the most frightening things for me and most people in my life is that the people creating the assault are among us." She added that the presidential election campaign and its outcome had left the country deeply divided "as clearly as it was in civil war times." Her comments were deemed offensive by many students, including the Young Republicans who filed a formal complaint and are circulating a petition to have her fired. On Monday, several hundred students and faculty members gathered on campus in support of Cox, carrying signs advocating free speech. A smaller group of students from the college Republicans were also on hand, continuously playing the controversial video from a computer. Several said that they took issue not so much over Cox's comments but in the fact that she was pushing her political views in a classroom setting. "This has nothing to do with free speech. It's a professor overstepping her profession," Vincent Wetzel told the Register, describing Cox as an otherwise "good teacher." The teacher's union, meanwhile, has said the student who surreptitiously recorded Cox could face legal action as the video was in violation of the student code of conduct. School and union officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Cox is expected to return to the classroom after the end-of-year holidays. (AFP)

California professor in hiding after anti-Trump rant

Rap superstar Kanye West on Tuesday delivered a surprise even in this most unusual of political&nbsp;years -- he met President-elect Donald Trump, marking the artist&#39;s first appearance since a reported&nbsp;mental breakdown.

West, a rare artist and even rarer African American celebrity to voice support for Trump, said he&nbsp;went to discuss issues of concern to minorities with the populist leader.

Trailed by an entourage including his own cameraman, West silently walked into Trump Tower and&nbsp;returned to the lobby 40 minutes later with the president-elect himself who, asked what the two&nbsp;discussed, said: &quot;Life.&quot; 
 
&quot;Just friends, just friends. He&#39;s a good man. Long time. Friends for a long time,&quot; said a visibly&nbsp;upbeat Trump, who wrapped an arm behind West&#39;s shoulder. 
 
West, sporting a fitted black sweatshirt and white sneakers, at first stood sullenly with his arms&nbsp;folded as reporters peppered him with questions -- including on whether he would make good on his&nbsp;earlier vow to run for president in 2020. 
&quot;I`m just here to take a picture right now,&quot; West finally said before flashing a smile. 
 
West later took to his and Trump`s favorite medium, Twitter, to elaborate, saying he came to discuss&nbsp;&quot;multicultural issues&quot; and had raised bullying, education and violence in his hometown Chicago. 
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I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues.
&mdash; KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/808767333065981956">December 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
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These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.
&mdash; KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/808768768906235908">December 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
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I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.
&mdash; KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/808769046208532484">December 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
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And, in a wry reply to questions on his own presidential aspirations, tweeted &quot;#2024&quot; -- or after a&nbsp;theoretical Trump second term. 
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#2024
&mdash; KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/808769227847036941">December 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Entertainment site E! News said Trump wanted to make West an&nbsp;&quot;ambassador of sorts&quot; involved in&nbsp;&quot;entrepreneurial leadership.&quot; 
 
Quoting an anonymous source on West`s side, E! News said Trump reached out as he believed the rapper&nbsp;-- who earlier this year said he was $53 million in debt -- was &quot;a great role model when it comes to&nbsp;business.&quot; 
 
West last month stunned a California audience with a lengthy speech in which he said he did not vote&nbsp;but would have backed Trump as he appreciated the businessman`s outspokenness. 
 
West was soon hospitalized after a series of erratic comments on stage, including&nbsp;alleging&nbsp;that&nbsp;his&nbsp;sometime&nbsp;collaborator Jay-Z was sending hitmen to kill him and lashing out at Facebook founder Mark&nbsp;Zuckerberg for not paying the rapper`s debt. 
 
The celebrity news website TMZ said that West`s doctor feared he had suffered a mental breakdown and&nbsp;that West had flown to New York on Monday to see a psychiatrist. 
 
Notably absent at Trump Tower was the rapper`s wife, reality television star Kim Kardashian.&nbsp;She has kept a low profile since gunmen broke into her Paris hotel room and robbed her of $10&nbsp;million worth of jewelry -- and gossip pages have recently speculated on the state of the couple`s&nbsp;marriage. 
 
The New York Post reported that Trump will also meet the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who&nbsp;is performing Thursday at Madison Square Garden, and appeal to him to sing at the January 20&nbsp;inauguration. 
 
Only a smattering of artists backed Trump, who pulled off an upset through support from white&nbsp;working-class men after a campaign in which the tycoon excoriated Mexicans, Muslims and other&nbsp;minorities. 
 
West previously campaigned for President Barack Obama and accused president George W&nbsp;&nbsp;Bush of not&nbsp;caring about African Americans after the patchy response to Hurricane Katrina. 
 
The 39-year-old was also among the first in hip-hop to speak forcefully against homophobia. 
 
But West has drawn growing comparisons to Trump, with the rapper delighting in self-aggrandizing&nbsp;social media postings and criticism of establishment rules. 
 
West has likened himself to Michelangelo and has alleged that the Grammys are rigged, threatening to&nbsp;boycott the music industry awards if he is not nominated for Album of the Year. He was not --&nbsp;although he is up in eight other categories. 
 
(AFP)

'Just friends, just friends. He's a good man. Long time. Friends for a long time,' said a visibly?upbeat Trump

Rap superstar Kanye West on Tuesday delivered a surprise even in this most unusual of political years -- he met President-elect Donald Trump, marking the artist's first appearance since a reported mental breakdown. West, a rare artist and even rarer African American celebrity to voice support for Trump, said he went to discuss issues of concern to minorities with the populist leader. Trailed by an entourage including his own cameraman, West silently walked into Trump Tower and returned to the lobby 40 minutes later with the president-elect himself who, asked what the two discussed, said: "Life." "Just friends, just friends. He's a good man. Long time. Friends for a long time," said a visibly upbeat Trump, who wrapped an arm behind West's shoulder. West, sporting a fitted black sweatshirt and white sneakers, at first stood sullenly with his arms folded as reporters peppered him with questions -- including on whether he would make good on his earlier vow to run for president in 2020. "I`m just here to take a picture right now," West finally said before flashing a smile. West later took to his and Trump`s favorite medium, Twitter, to elaborate, saying he came to discuss "multicultural issues" and had raised bullying, education and violence in his hometown Chicago. I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016 × These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016 × I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016 × And, in a wry reply to questions on his own presidential aspirations, tweeted "#2024" -- or after a theoretical Trump second term. #2024 — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016 × Entertainment site E! News said Trump wanted to make West an "ambassador of sorts" involved in "entrepreneurial leadership." Quoting an anonymous source on West`s side, E! News said Trump reached out as he believed the rapper -- who earlier this year said he was $53 million in debt -- was "a great role model when it comes to business." West last month stunned a California audience with a lengthy speech in which he said he did not vote but would have backed Trump as he appreciated the businessman`s outspokenness. West was soon hospitalized after a series of erratic comments on stage, including alleging that his sometime collaborator Jay-Z was sending hitmen to kill him and lashing out at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for not paying the rapper`s debt. The celebrity news website TMZ said that West`s doctor feared he had suffered a mental breakdown and that West had flown to New York on Monday to see a psychiatrist. Notably absent at Trump Tower was the rapper`s wife, reality television star Kim Kardashian. She has kept a low profile since gunmen broke into her Paris hotel room and robbed her of $10 million worth of jewelry -- and gossip pages have recently speculated on the state of the couple`s marriage. The New York Post reported that Trump will also meet the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who is performing Thursday at Madison Square Garden, and appeal to him to sing at the January 20 inauguration. Only a smattering of artists backed Trump, who pulled off an upset through support from white working-class men after a campaign in which the tycoon excoriated Mexicans, Muslims and other minorities. West previously campaigned for President Barack Obama and accused president George W Bush of not caring about African Americans after the patchy response to Hurricane Katrina. The 39-year-old was also among the first in hip-hop to speak forcefully against homophobia. But West has drawn growing comparisons to Trump, with the rapper delighting in self-aggrandizing social media postings and criticism of establishment rules. West has likened himself to Michelangelo and has alleged that the Grammys are rigged, threatening to boycott the music industry awards if he is not nominated for Album of the Year. He was not -- although he is up in eight other categories. (AFP)

Kanye meets Trump, discusses 'multicultural issues'

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, US media reported late Monday, setting up what will likely be contentious confirmation hearings over the oilman&#39;s ties to Russia.

&quot;I will be making my announcement on the next Secretary of State tomorrow morning,&quot; Trump said Monday evening using his favoured medium, Twitter.

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<h5>If he is indeed nominated on Tuesday, Tillerson -- who has no formal foreign policy background -- is sure to face sharp questions in Senate confirmation hearings</h5>
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News outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News cited sources as saying the real estate mogul had settled on Tillerson after a drawn-out and public search for the nation&#39;s top diplomat.

There had been eight or nine contenders for the job, including former CIA director David Petraeus, former UN ambassador John Bolton and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker.

Also on that list was erstwhile Trump critic and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who indicated on Facebook he was out of the running shortly after Trump said he would soon make his choice official.

&quot;It was an honour to have been considered for secretary of state of our great country,&quot; Romney wrote.

&quot;My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace.&quot;

CNN reported that Trump had called Romney to tell him he had not been selected.

Sharp questions&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s secretary of state will be tasked with overseeing international relations for a political novice who seems intent on trashing protocol and upending relationships built on decades of delicate diplomacy.

If he is indeed nominated on Tuesday, Tillerson -- who has no formal foreign policy background -- is sure to face sharp questions in Senate confirmation hearings.&nbsp;

As ExxonMobil&#39;s president and CEO, the 64-year-old Texan oversees the company&#39;s business activities in more than 50 countries.

He has opposed sanctions on Russia and in 2013 was awarded Russia&#39;s Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin following several years of Exxon projects in the country.

Trump has praised Tillerson as &quot;much more than a business executive.&quot;

&quot;I mean, he&#39;s a world-class player,&quot; the president-elect told Fox News Sunday. &quot;He knows many of the players and he knows them well.

&quot;He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company, not for himself, for the company.&quot;

&nbsp;Ruffling feathers

With more than five weeks to go before he is sworn in, Trump is already ruffling feathers with his statements about two major world powers: Russia and China.

The president-elect has stoked alarm -- even among fellow Republicans -- by calling for closer ties with Moscow, in contrast to received wisdom in Washington that Russia remains a global security threat.

He has dismissed as &quot;ridiculous&quot; reports that US intelligence has concluded that Russia interfered in last month&#39;s presidential election to sway the vote in his favor.

And Sino-US relations are strained after a series of moves by Trump that provoked China, America&#39;s biggest single goods trading partner and the holder of almost a trillion dollars in US government debt.

The incoming president has suggested that Beijing may have to make concessions on trade if US policy toward China is to stay the same. He also directly challenged China over its currency and its takeover of disputed islets in the South China Sea.

That came after Trump raised eyebrows by taking a congratulatory call from the president of Taiwan, a self-ruling island that Beijing considers a rogue province awaiting unification.&nbsp;

It was a break from the &quot;One China policy&quot; -- which recognises Beijing as the sole representative of China -- the cornerstone of the relationship between the countries since Richard Nixon went to China in 1972.

China&#39;s foreign ministry has warned that if the One China policy is &quot;compromised or disrupted,&quot; cooperation in major fields would be &quot;out of the question.&quot;

(AFP)

There will probably be contentious confirmation hearings over Rex Tillerman's ties to Russia

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, US media reported late Monday, setting up what will likely be contentious confirmation hearings over the oilman's ties to Russia. "I will be making my announcement on the next Secretary of State tomorrow morning," Trump said Monday evening using his favoured medium, Twitter. If he is indeed nominated on Tuesday, Tillerson -- who has no formal foreign policy background -- is sure to face sharp questions in Senate confirmation hearings × News outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News cited sources as saying the real estate mogul had settled on Tillerson after a drawn-out and public search for the nation's top diplomat. There had been eight or nine contenders for the job, including former CIA director David Petraeus, former UN ambassador John Bolton and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker. Also on that list was erstwhile Trump critic and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who indicated on Facebook he was out of the running shortly after Trump said he would soon make his choice official. "It was an honour to have been considered for secretary of state of our great country," Romney wrote. "My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace." CNN reported that Trump had called Romney to tell him he had not been selected. Sharp questions Trump's secretary of state will be tasked with overseeing international relations for a political novice who seems intent on trashing protocol and upending relationships built on decades of delicate diplomacy. If he is indeed nominated on Tuesday, Tillerson -- who has no formal foreign policy background -- is sure to face sharp questions in Senate confirmation hearings. As ExxonMobil's president and CEO, the 64-year-old Texan oversees the company's business activities in more than 50 countries. He has opposed sanctions on Russia and in 2013 was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin following several years of Exxon projects in the country. Trump has praised Tillerson as "much more than a business executive." "I mean, he's a world-class player," the president-elect told Fox News Sunday. "He knows many of the players and he knows them well. "He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company, not for himself, for the company." Ruffling feathers With more than five weeks to go before he is sworn in, Trump is already ruffling feathers with his statements about two major world powers: Russia and China. The president-elect has stoked alarm -- even among fellow Republicans -- by calling for closer ties with Moscow, in contrast to received wisdom in Washington that Russia remains a global security threat. He has dismissed as "ridiculous" reports that US intelligence has concluded that Russia interfered in last month's presidential election to sway the vote in his favor. And Sino-US relations are strained after a series of moves by Trump that provoked China, America's biggest single goods trading partner and the holder of almost a trillion dollars in US government debt. The incoming president has suggested that Beijing may have to make concessions on trade if US policy toward China is to stay the same. He also directly challenged China over its currency and its takeover of disputed islets in the South China Sea. That came after Trump raised eyebrows by taking a congratulatory call from the president of Taiwan, a self-ruling island that Beijing considers a rogue province awaiting unification. It was a break from the "One China policy" -- which recognises Beijing as the sole representative of China -- the cornerstone of the relationship between the countries since Richard Nixon went to China in 1972. China's foreign ministry has warned that if the One China policy is "compromised or disrupted," cooperation in major fields would be "out of the question." (AFP)

Trump to pick ExxonMobil chief as secretary of state: US media

The US F-35 stealth fighter programme suffered a dual blow Monday as President-elect Donald Trump blasted &quot;out of control&quot; costs and bad weather delayed delivery to Israel by six hours.

With US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter in Israel for the arrival of the first two of 50 of the warplanes bought from aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Trump lashed out on Twitter against the programme. 
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The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/808301935728230404">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Lockheed Martin&#39;s stock tumbled 4.3 percent shortly after the tweet, which prompted a response from the company.

With a current development and acquisition price tag of $379 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft -- most of them destined for the US Air Force -- the plane is the most expensive in history.

Once servicing and maintenance costs are factored in over the aircraft&#39;s lifespan through 2070, overall programme costs are expected to soar to $1.5 trillion.

Speaking at the landing site in southern Israel, Jeff Babione, Lockheed&#39;s programme manager for the F-35s, told journalists the planes represented a good deal.

&quot;It&#39;s great value and I look forward to any questions that the president-elect may have,&quot; he said.

Six hours late 
 
In Israel, the first two F-35s landed at Nevatim air base at around 8.15 pm (1845 GMT), around six hours late after being delayed by bad weather in Italy, believed to be fog.

Some 4,000 people had been expected to watch the landings but the crowds thinned as the landing was delayed, leaving only around half the seats full by nightfall.

The two planes came to a halt in front of the spectators, one on each side of the stage erected for speeches of welcome.

&quot;The aircraft landing here will change the rules of the game,&quot; President Reuven Rivlin said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Israel&#39;s air force as the state&#39;s long arm.

I want to tell the people of Israel today that this long arm today became longer, more powerful,&quot; he said.

&quot;Anyone thinking of attacking us will be attacked,&quot; he added, in an apparent reference to arch-foe Iran. &quot;Anyone thinking of destroying us places his own existence in danger.&quot;

A Lockheed official said the delivery delay was caused by Italian air safety regulations, rather than any limitation of the planes, but this did not stop jibes.

&quot;Here&#39;s hoping we only go to war on sunny days...&quot; one Israeli joked on Twitter.

The Trump attack and the delay in the fighters&#39; arrival threatened to overshadow what Israel had labelled a key day in its military&#39;s future.&nbsp;

While other countries have ordered the planes, Israel -- which receives more than $3 billion a year in US defence aid -- says it will be the first outside the United States with an operational F-35 squadron.

Carter and Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman joined Netanyahu and Rivlin at the ceremony.

Carter said there was &quot;no better symbol of the US commitment to Israel&#39;s security than the F-35, the most capable aircraft in the skies&quot;.

&quot;Together we will dominate the skies,&quot; he said.

Israel is buying its first 33 F-35s at an average price of about $110 million (103.5 million euros) each.

It will receive the F-35A model for standard takeoffs and landings. The B and C models are for short takeoffs and aircraft carriers.

Israeli components will be integrated in the aircraft, which will be known as the F-35I.

Supersonic stealth&nbsp; 
 
Among its main features are advanced stealth capabilities to help pilots evade sophisticated missile systems.

The single-pilot jets can carry an array of weapons and travel at a supersonic speed of Mach 1.6, or around 1,200 miles per hour (1,900 kilometres per hour).

The pilot&#39;s ultra-high-tech helmet, at a cost of some $400,000 each, includes its own operating system, with data that appears on the visor and is also shared elsewhere.

Thermal and night vision as well as 360-degree views are possible with cameras mounted on the plane.

The new warplanes are seen as helping the country maintain its edge in the Middle East, particularly as Iran seeks further influence in the region.

Israel is especially concerned over whether the Islamic republic will seek to develop nuclear weapons by violating the international accord it has signed with world powers. 
 
(AFP)

 
&nbsp;

Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20, he tweeted

The US F-35 stealth fighter programme suffered a dual blow Monday as President-elect Donald Trump blasted "out of control" costs and bad weather delayed delivery to Israel by six hours. With US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter in Israel for the arrival of the first two of 50 of the warplanes bought from aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Trump lashed out on Twitter against the programme. The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016 × Lockheed Martin's stock tumbled 4.3 percent shortly after the tweet, which prompted a response from the company. With a current development and acquisition price tag of $379 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft -- most of them destined for the US Air Force -- the plane is the most expensive in history. Once servicing and maintenance costs are factored in over the aircraft's lifespan through 2070, overall programme costs are expected to soar to $1.5 trillion. Speaking at the landing site in southern Israel, Jeff Babione, Lockheed's programme manager for the F-35s, told journalists the planes represented a good deal. "It's great value and I look forward to any questions that the president-elect may have," he said. Six hours late In Israel, the first two F-35s landed at Nevatim air base at around 8.15 pm (1845 GMT), around six hours late after being delayed by bad weather in Italy, believed to be fog. Some 4,000 people had been expected to watch the landings but the crowds thinned as the landing was delayed, leaving only around half the seats full by nightfall. The two planes came to a halt in front of the spectators, one on each side of the stage erected for speeches of welcome. "The aircraft landing here will change the rules of the game," President Reuven Rivlin said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Israel's air force as the state's long arm. I want to tell the people of Israel today that this long arm today became longer, more powerful," he said. "Anyone thinking of attacking us will be attacked," he added, in an apparent reference to arch-foe Iran. "Anyone thinking of destroying us places his own existence in danger." A Lockheed official said the delivery delay was caused by Italian air safety regulations, rather than any limitation of the planes, but this did not stop jibes. "Here's hoping we only go to war on sunny days..." one Israeli joked on Twitter. The Trump attack and the delay in the fighters' arrival threatened to overshadow what Israel had labelled a key day in its military's future. While other countries have ordered the planes, Israel -- which receives more than $3 billion a year in US defence aid -- says it will be the first outside the United States with an operational F-35 squadron. Carter and Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman joined Netanyahu and Rivlin at the ceremony. Carter said there was "no better symbol of the US commitment to Israel's security than the F-35, the most capable aircraft in the skies". "Together we will dominate the skies," he said. Israel is buying its first 33 F-35s at an average price of about $110 million (103.5 million euros) each. It will receive the F-35A model for standard takeoffs and landings. The B and C models are for short takeoffs and aircraft carriers. Israeli components will be integrated in the aircraft, which will be known as the F-35I. Supersonic stealth Among its main features are advanced stealth capabilities to help pilots evade sophisticated missile systems. The single-pilot jets can carry an array of weapons and travel at a supersonic speed of Mach 1.6, or around 1,200 miles per hour (1,900 kilometres per hour). The pilot's ultra-high-tech helmet, at a cost of some $400,000 each, includes its own operating system, with data that appears on the visor and is also shared elsewhere. Thermal and night vision as well as 360-degree views are possible with cameras mounted on the plane. The new warplanes are seen as helping the country maintain its edge in the Middle East, particularly as Iran seeks further influence in the region. Israel is especially concerned over whether the Islamic republic will seek to develop nuclear weapons by violating the international accord it has signed with world powers. (AFP)

US F-35 jets land in Israel as Trump claims costs of fighter programme 'out of control'

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the US&nbsp;Department of Energy, a transition official said, putting him in charge of the agency he proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

The choice, confirmed late on Monday by the official, adds to the list of oil drilling advocates skeptical about climate change who have been picked for senior positions in Trump&#39;s Cabinet. The selections have worried environmentalists but cheered an industry eager for expansion.

Perry&#39;s proposal to scrap the Energy Department caused what has become known as his &quot;oops&quot; moment during a November 2011 debate when he could not remember all the Cabinet-level departments he wanted to eliminate.

&quot;It&#39;s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: commerce, education and the um, what&#39;s the third one there? Let&#39;s see,&quot; Perry said.

His debate opponents tried to prod his memory but Perry ultimately gave up, saying, &quot;I can&#39;t. The third one, I can&#39;t. Sorry. Oops.&quot;

Perry, who also briefly ran in the 2016 presidential race, would have to be confirmed by the Senate to head the Energy Department, which is responsible for US&nbsp;energy policy and oversees the nation&#39;s nuclear weapons program.

Perry served as governor of Texas, a leading oil-producing state, from 2000 when he succeeded President George W&nbsp;Bush until 2015. In his unsuccessful presidential runs, he touted his record of job creation in the second-most-populous state.

Perry was a fierce critic of Trump last year before dropping out of the race, calling him &quot;a cancer on conservatism&quot; who offered &quot;a toxic mix of demagoguery and mean-spiritedness and nonsense&quot;.

Trump also had harsh things to say about Perry during the campaign, even belittling his eye glasses by saying, &quot;He put on glasses so people will think he&#39;s smart&quot;.

Once Trump secured the nomination, Perry endorsed him as &quot;the people&#39;s choice&quot;.

If Perry gets the job, it would be further indication that the incoming Trump administration may be friendly toward the fossil fuel industry. Perry has advocated lighter regulation on the industry, and has said that the science around climate change is &quot;unsettled&quot;.

Trump is set to pick US&nbsp;Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is also a climate-change skeptic and an advocate for expanded oil and gas development, to head the Interior Department.

Trump&#39;s pick for the Environmental Protection Agency is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an ardent opponent of President Barack Obama&#39;s measures to curb climate change who has sued the EPA to block in a bid to undo a key regulation to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from coal-fired power plants.

Trump named Rex Tillerson, chief executive of oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp, as his choice for secretary of state on Tuesday.

An overwhelming majority of scientists believe that carbon dioxide emissions from burning oil, gas and coal is a significant contributor to global climate change, causing sea level rise, drought, and more frequent violent storms.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Perry, who called climate change science 'unsettled', will lead the agency he proposed eliminating in 2012

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the US Department of Energy, a transition official said, putting him in charge of the agency he proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The choice, confirmed late on Monday by the official, adds to the list of oil drilling advocates skeptical about climate change who have been picked for senior positions in Trump's Cabinet. The selections have worried environmentalists but cheered an industry eager for expansion. Perry's proposal to scrap the Energy Department caused what has become known as his "oops" moment during a November 2011 debate when he could not remember all the Cabinet-level departments he wanted to eliminate. "It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: commerce, education and the um, what's the third one there? Let's see," Perry said. His debate opponents tried to prod his memory but Perry ultimately gave up, saying, "I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." Perry, who also briefly ran in the 2016 presidential race, would have to be confirmed by the Senate to head the Energy Department, which is responsible for US energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons program. Perry served as governor of Texas, a leading oil-producing state, from 2000 when he succeeded President George W Bush until 2015. In his unsuccessful presidential runs, he touted his record of job creation in the second-most-populous state. Perry was a fierce critic of Trump last year before dropping out of the race, calling him "a cancer on conservatism" who offered "a toxic mix of demagoguery and mean-spiritedness and nonsense". Trump also had harsh things to say about Perry during the campaign, even belittling his eye glasses by saying, "He put on glasses so people will think he's smart". Once Trump secured the nomination, Perry endorsed him as "the people's choice". If Perry gets the job, it would be further indication that the incoming Trump administration may be friendly toward the fossil fuel industry. Perry has advocated lighter regulation on the industry, and has said that the science around climate change is "unsettled". Trump is set to pick US Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is also a climate-change skeptic and an advocate for expanded oil and gas development, to head the Interior Department. Trump's pick for the Environmental Protection Agency is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an ardent opponent of President Barack Obama's measures to curb climate change who has sued the EPA to block in a bid to undo a key regulation to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from coal-fired power plants. Trump named Rex Tillerson, chief executive of oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp, as his choice for secretary of state on Tuesday. An overwhelming majority of scientists believe that carbon dioxide emissions from burning oil, gas and coal is a significant contributor to global climate change, causing sea level rise, drought, and more frequent violent storms. (Reuters)

Trump to pick former Texas Governor Perry as Energy Secretary

Twelve days and almost three million ballots later, US President-elect Donald Trump is still the winner of the presidential election in Wisconsin, state officials said Monday following a recount.

Republican Trump won the Midwestern state by more than 22,000 votes in November, a margin that increased by 131 votes following the recount, according to preliminary statewide totals announced by Wisconsin&#39;s election commission.&nbsp;

Third-party candidate Jill Stein a former Green Party candidate--&nbsp;who received about one per cent of the vote -- had spearheaded efforts to force recounts in Wisconsin as well as in Michigan and Pennsylvania.&nbsp;

The three states were crucial to Trump&#39;s victory in the presidential contest.&nbsp;

Trump, who had previously derided recount efforts as &quot;a waste of time,&quot; took to Twitter after the new Wisconsin tally was announced.

&quot;The final Wisconsin vote is in and guess what -- we just picked up an additional 131 votes,&quot; the real estate tycoon wrote. &quot;The Dems and Green Party can now rest. Scam!&quot;&nbsp;

Wisconsin -- a swing state that had voted Democratic in the past several presidential elections prior to 2016 -- started recounting its ballots on December 1 to meet the Tuesday deadline for certifying the vote.&nbsp;

The Wisconsin recount &quot;was never about changing the outcome; it was about validating the vote and restoring confidence in our voting system to Americans across the country who have doubt,&quot; Stein said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;The recount in Wisconsin raised a number of important election integrity issues that bear further assessment and serious action to ensure we have integrity and confidence in our electoral system.&quot;&nbsp;

Fundraising efforts collected more than $7 million to pay for the recounts, which Stein said were necessary to address voting system cybersecurity issues.&nbsp;

On Monday a federal judge rejected Stein&#39;s initiative to secure a recount in Pennsylvania. Trump&#39;s lawyers had filed suit there seeking to deny Stein&#39;s request.

Recount efforts were also thwarted in Michigan after another federal judge halted that drive, citing a lack of evidence that fraud or errors had occurred.&nbsp;

Stein has criticised the pushback from the Trump camp and his supporters, and said a partial recount in Michigan revealed &quot;numerous red flags.&quot;&nbsp;

(AFP)

Wisconsin's election commission stated, Trump won more than 22,000 votes in November a margin that increased by 131 votes after the recount

Twelve days and almost three million ballots later, US President-elect Donald Trump is still the winner of the presidential election in Wisconsin, state officials said Monday following a recount. Republican Trump won the Midwestern state by more than 22,000 votes in November, a margin that increased by 131 votes following the recount, according to preliminary statewide totals announced by Wisconsin's election commission. Third-party candidate Jill Stein a former Green Party candidate-- who received about one per cent of the vote -- had spearheaded efforts to force recounts in Wisconsin as well as in Michigan and Pennsylvania. The three states were crucial to Trump's victory in the presidential contest. Trump, who had previously derided recount efforts as "a waste of time," took to Twitter after the new Wisconsin tally was announced. "The final Wisconsin vote is in and guess what -- we just picked up an additional 131 votes," the real estate tycoon wrote. "The Dems and Green Party can now rest. Scam!" Wisconsin -- a swing state that had voted Democratic in the past several presidential elections prior to 2016 -- started recounting its ballots on December 1 to meet the Tuesday deadline for certifying the vote. The Wisconsin recount "was never about changing the outcome; it was about validating the vote and restoring confidence in our voting system to Americans across the country who have doubt," Stein said in a statement. "The recount in Wisconsin raised a number of important election integrity issues that bear further assessment and serious action to ensure we have integrity and confidence in our electoral system." Fundraising efforts collected more than $7 million to pay for the recounts, which Stein said were necessary to address voting system cybersecurity issues. On Monday a federal judge rejected Stein's initiative to secure a recount in Pennsylvania. Trump's lawyers had filed suit there seeking to deny Stein's request. Recount efforts were also thwarted in Michigan after another federal judge halted that drive, citing a lack of evidence that fraud or errors had occurred. Stein has criticised the pushback from the Trump camp and his supporters, and said a partial recount in Michigan revealed "numerous red flags." (AFP)

Finished recount confirms Trump victory in Wisconsin

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was chosen as the new US Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump, a nomination that could face intense scrutiny due to the veteran oil executive&#39;s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him (Tillerson) an excellent choice for Secretary of State,&quot; Trump said in the statement.

Like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience whatsoever, but has built close relationships with many world leaders by closing massive deals across Eurasia and the Middle East on behalf of the world&#39;s largest energy company.

Tillerson was originally a dark horse for the secretary of state nomination, but emerged from a lengthy public interview and vetting process that included better-known quantities like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee.

Trump has called Tillerson a &quot;world-class player&quot; and the transition team is likely to stress that his mastery of complex negotiations and knowledge of geopolitical factors shaping the oil industry are directly relevant to heading US diplomacy and managing the State Department.

Tillerson was recommended to Trump by former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker and former Secretary of Defence Bob Gates, CNN quoted sources as saying. Trump and Tillerson possess similar dealmaking business backgrounds and similar views of the world, sources said, and there was a level of comfort that Trump hadn&#39;t found with anyone else.

Tillerson&#39;s nomination could face intense scrutiny in the Senate, considering his years of work in Russia and the Middle East on behalf of the multinational petroleum company. Tillerson is considered one of the faces of Big Oil globally. In 2011, Exxon signed a deal with Russian oil giant Rosneft to provide access to oil resources in the Arctic. Rosneft&#39;s largest shareholder is the Russian government. Putin attended the Exxon signing ceremony and later awarded Tillerson the country&#39;s Order of Friendship.

(PTI)

Like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience whatsoever, but has built close relationships with many world leaders

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was chosen as the new US Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump, a nomination that could face intense scrutiny due to the veteran oil executive's close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him (Tillerson) an excellent choice for Secretary of State," Trump said in the statement. Like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience whatsoever, but has built close relationships with many world leaders by closing massive deals across Eurasia and the Middle East on behalf of the world's largest energy company. Tillerson was originally a dark horse for the secretary of state nomination, but emerged from a lengthy public interview and vetting process that included better-known quantities like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Trump has called Tillerson a "world-class player" and the transition team is likely to stress that his mastery of complex negotiations and knowledge of geopolitical factors shaping the oil industry are directly relevant to heading US diplomacy and managing the State Department. Tillerson was recommended to Trump by former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker and former Secretary of Defence Bob Gates, CNN quoted sources as saying. Trump and Tillerson possess similar dealmaking business backgrounds and similar views of the world, sources said, and there was a level of comfort that Trump hadn't found with anyone else. Tillerson's nomination could face intense scrutiny in the Senate, considering his years of work in Russia and the Middle East on behalf of the multinational petroleum company. Tillerson is considered one of the faces of Big Oil globally. In 2011, Exxon signed a deal with Russian oil giant Rosneft to provide access to oil resources in the Arctic. Rosneft's largest shareholder is the Russian government. Putin attended the Exxon signing ceremony and later awarded Tillerson the country's Order of Friendship. (PTI)

Trump appoints Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson US state secretary

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes US President-elect Donald Trump will be a good friend to Israel and hopes the two countries can work together to dismantle the international nuclear agreement with Iran.

&quot;I know Donald Trump,&quot; Netanyahu told CBS&#39;s &quot;60 Minutes&quot; in an interview scheduled to air last night. &quot;And I think his attitude, his support for Israel is clear. He feels very warmly about the Jewish state, about the Jewish people. There&#39;s no question about that.&quot;

Netanyahu&#39;s remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters.

While the two countries are close allies, relations were sometimes tense between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama because of their vastly different world views on the Iran deal and other issues. And there is sentiment in the nationalist Israeli right wing that

Trump&#39;s election could usher in a new era of relations with the United States. Netanyahu said in the interview he &quot;had differences of opinion&quot; with Obama and the &quot;most well-known, of course, is Iran&quot;.

The Israeli prime minister has been one of the fiercest critics of the nuclear deal. During the campaign, Trump also spoke harshly about it.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel&#39;s destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran&#39;s nuclear program is designed to threaten its existence.

Netanyahu said there are &quot;various ways of undoing&quot; the 2015 deal, in which Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on its oil industry and finances.

&quot;I have about five things in my mind,&quot; Netanyahu said, declining to go into further detail.

(PTI)

&nbsp;

Netanyahu's remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes US President-elect Donald Trump will be a good friend to Israel and hopes the two countries can work together to dismantle the international nuclear agreement with Iran. "I know Donald Trump," Netanyahu told CBS's "60 Minutes" in an interview scheduled to air last night. "And I think his attitude, his support for Israel is clear. He feels very warmly about the Jewish state, about the Jewish people. There's no question about that." Netanyahu's remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters. While the two countries are close allies, relations were sometimes tense between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama because of their vastly different world views on the Iran deal and other issues. And there is sentiment in the nationalist Israeli right wing that Trump's election could usher in a new era of relations with the United States. Netanyahu said in the interview he "had differences of opinion" with Obama and the "most well-known, of course, is Iran". The Israeli prime minister has been one of the fiercest critics of the nuclear deal. During the campaign, Trump also spoke harshly about it. Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran's nuclear program is designed to threaten its existence. Netanyahu said there are "various ways of undoing" the 2015 deal, in which Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on its oil industry and finances. "I have about five things in my mind," Netanyahu said, declining to go into further detail. (PTI)

Israeli PM says he hopes to work with Trump to undo Iran nuclear deal

A group of electors who will ratify the US presidential election results next week on Monday called for a full briefing on accusations that Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win the vote.

With support from defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton&#39;s top advisor John Podesta, the 10 electors -- all but one Democrats -- said they need to understand the strength of those accusations before the 538-member Electoral College gathers on December 19.

&quot;The electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations,&quot; they said in an open letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.&nbsp;

&quot;We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr Trump is fit to serve as president of the United States.&quot;

The call came after weekend media reports said the Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that Moscow was behind the hacking of political party computers and the release of data that ultimately damaged Clinton in her fight against Trump.

Trump branded that conclusion &quot;ridiculous,&quot; but senior members of Congress are taking it seriously, and are poised to launch investigations.&nbsp;

Podesta, whose private campaign emails were part of the hacked data, said the electors&#39; letter &quot;raises very grave issues involving our national security.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed,&quot; he said in a statement.

The US Constitution dictates that the electoral college ultimately decides the presidential election, not the popular vote.

Each US state is given a number of electors that corresponds to the size of the state&#39;s population.

In the November 8 vote, Clinton bested Trump in the popular vote by two percentage points, but Trump captured more states and earned 306 electors to Clinton&#39;s 232, giving him the White House victory.&nbsp;

Clay Pell, one of the electors who signed the letter, said it was &quot;essential&quot; to understand what happened before the electors meet to confirm the election result.

&quot;It&#39;s absolutely the role of the electoral college to consider that,&quot; he told AFP.

(AFP)

The call came after media reports said the CIA concluded that Moscow was behind hacking of computers, release of data that damaged Clinton

A group of electors who will ratify the US presidential election results next week on Monday called for a full briefing on accusations that Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win the vote. With support from defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton's top advisor John Podesta, the 10 electors -- all but one Democrats -- said they need to understand the strength of those accusations before the 538-member Electoral College gathers on December 19. "The electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," they said in an open letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. "We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr Trump is fit to serve as president of the United States." The call came after weekend media reports said the Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that Moscow was behind the hacking of political party computers and the release of data that ultimately damaged Clinton in her fight against Trump. Trump branded that conclusion "ridiculous," but senior members of Congress are taking it seriously, and are poised to launch investigations. Podesta, whose private campaign emails were part of the hacked data, said the electors' letter "raises very grave issues involving our national security." "Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed," he said in a statement. The US Constitution dictates that the electoral college ultimately decides the presidential election, not the popular vote. Each US state is given a number of electors that corresponds to the size of the state's population. In the November 8 vote, Clinton bested Trump in the popular vote by two percentage points, but Trump captured more states and earned 306 electors to Clinton's 232, giving him the White House victory. Clay Pell, one of the electors who signed the letter, said it was "essential" to understand what happened before the electors meet to confirm the election result. "It's absolutely the role of the electoral college to consider that," he told AFP. (AFP)

US presidential electors ask for intelligence briefing on 'Russian hacking'

Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of &quot;one China&quot;, in his first Sunday show interview as president-elect, news agency Reuters reports.

Trump&rsquo;s comments on &ldquo;Fox News Sunday&rdquo; came after his phone call with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on December 2 prompted a diplomatic protest from China.

&quot;I fully understand the &#39;one China&#39; policy, but I don&#39;t know why we have to be bound by a &#39;one China&#39; policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade,&quot; Trump told Fox, Reuters reports.

&quot;I don&#39;t want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me. &nbsp;I didn&#39;t make the call, and it was a call, very short call saying congratulations, sir, on the victory. It was a very nice call. Short,&quot; Trump added.

Trump&#39;s call with President Tsai Ing-wen was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of &quot;one China&quot;, according to Reuters.

Trump has accused China of manipulating the value of its currency in order to give its products price advantages in the American market.

&quot;We&#39;re being hurt very badly by China with devaluation, with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don&#39;t tax them, with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn&#39;t be doing, and frankly with not helping us at all with North Korea,&quot; Reuters quoted him as saying.

&quot;You have North Korea. You have nuclear weapons and China could solve that problem and they&#39;re not helping us at all.&quot;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Trump?s comments on 'Fox News Sunday' came after his phone call with Taiwan's president prompted a diplomatic protest from China

Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China", in his first Sunday show interview as president-elect, news agency Reuters reports. Trump’s comments on “Fox News Sunday” came after his phone call with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on December 2 prompted a diplomatic protest from China. "I fully understand the 'one China' policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump told Fox, Reuters reports. "I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me. I didn't make the call, and it was a call, very short call saying congratulations, sir, on the victory. It was a very nice call. Short," Trump added. Trump's call with President Tsai Ing-wen was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China", according to Reuters. Trump has accused China of manipulating the value of its currency in order to give its products price advantages in the American market. "We're being hurt very badly by China with devaluation, with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don't tax them, with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn't be doing, and frankly with not helping us at all with North Korea," Reuters quoted him as saying. "You have North Korea. You have nuclear weapons and China could solve that problem and they're not helping us at all." (WION)

Trump says US not necessarily bound by 'one China' policy

Republicans on Saturday rejected reports of a secret CIA assessment finding that Russia sought to tip the US presidential election in Donald Trump&#39;s favor, as a Democratic Senate leader called for an investigation.

&quot;The intelligence is wrong,&quot; Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told CNN. &quot;It didn&#39;t happen.&quot;

He was referring to a New York Times report saying US intelligence agencies had &quot;high confidence&quot; that Russian hackers infiltrated the Republican National Committee&#39;s computer systems as well as those of Democratic Party organisations, but released information stolen only from the Democrats.

News about the CIA report, first reported by The Washington Post on Friday, drew an extraordinary rebuke from the president-elect&#39;s camp.

&quot;These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,&quot; Trump&#39;s transition team said, launching a broadside against the spy agency.

Trump said the election was over and that it&#39;s &quot;now time to move on and &#39;Make America Great Again.&#39;&quot;

However, senator Chuck Schumer, set to become Democratic minority leader in January, called for a congressional probe into the matter.

&quot;That any country could be meddling in our elections should shake both political parties to their core,&quot; he said Saturday.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s imperative that our intelligence community turns over any relevant information so that Congress can conduct a full investigation.&quot;

The debate simmered as US media reported that ExxonMobil President and CEO Rex Tillerson -- a businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin -- is Trump&#39;s likely pick for secretary of state.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, slammed the idea of Tillerson as top diplomat as &quot;alarming and absurd.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;With Rex Tillerson as our Secretary of State, the Trump administration would be guaranteeing Russia has a willing accomplice in the president&#39;s cabinet guiding our nation&#39;s foreign policy,&quot; he said in a statement.

&#39;Help Trump get elected&#39;

The reports of Russian interference in the White House vote follow President Barack Obama&#39;s order for a review of all cyberattacks that took place during the 2016 election cycle.

According to The Post, individuals with connections to Moscow provided anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks with emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign chief, and others.

WikiLeaks steadily released those emails in the months before the election, damaging Clinton&#39;s White House run.

&quot;It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia&#39;s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,&quot; a US official briefed on an intelligence presentation to key senators told the newspaper. &quot;That&#39;s the consensus view.&quot;

CIA agents told the lawmakers it was &quot;quite clear&quot; that electing Trump was Russia&#39;s goal, according to officials who spoke to the Post.

Russian hackers did not limit their hits to the Democrats, The New York Times reported.

&quot;We now have high confidence that they hacked the D.N.C. and the R.N.C., and conspicuously released no documents&quot; from the Republican organization, one senior administration official told The Times.

It is unclear however when Russia started supporting Trump, &quot;and many intelligence officials -- and former officials in Mrs Clinton&#39;s campaign -- believe that the primary motive of the Russians was to simply disrupt the campaign and undercut confidence in the integrity of the vote,&quot; the newspaper said.

Question marks

The CIA&#39;s assessment falls short of a formal US assessment produced by all 17 intelligence agencies, The Post said.

Intelligence agents cannot prove that Russian officials directed the identified individuals to give WikiLeaks the hacked Democratic emails.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied links with Russia&#39;s government.

California Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of the Trump transition team, said he &quot;does not believe the evidence shows that the Russians interfered in the elections in order to help Trump,&quot; a spokesman told AFP.

However Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the same committee, said &quot;the integrity of our elections is hindered&quot; when Trump and his transition team &quot;minimize or dismiss the intelligence assessments.&quot;

For Schiff, &quot;one would also have to be willfully blind not to see that these Russian actions were uniformly damaging to Secretary Clinton and helpful to Donald Trump.&quot;

Calls for investigations

Democrats in Congress called on US intelligence agencies to provide all information about Russian hacking and disinformation in the election.

The current minority leader, Senator Harry Reid, even accused FBI Director James Comey of knowing about Russian hacking into the Republican servers &quot;for a long time.&quot;

&quot;But he, Comey, who&#39;s a Republican, refused to divulge this information about Russia interfering with the presidential election,&quot; Reid told MSNBC, accusing the FBI director of being &quot;the new J. Edgar Hoover.&quot;

&quot;I think he should be investigated,&quot; he added.

Clinton has blamed Comey for her loss, saying his decision during the campaign&#39;s final weeks to re-open a probe into her email use as secretary of state broke her momentum.

Previous intelligence reports have accused Russia of seeking to undermine the US election, without saying if Moscow favored any candidate.

In an interview Wednesday in Time magazine, Trump was asked if the intelligence was politicized. &quot;I think so,&quot; he said.

&quot;I don&#39;t believe they interfered,&quot; he said. &quot;It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey.&quot;

(AFP)

The Washington Post reported that a secret CIA assessment found Russia sought to tip the US presidential election in Donald Trump's favour

Republicans on Saturday rejected reports of a secret CIA assessment finding that Russia sought to tip the US presidential election in Donald Trump's favor, as a Democratic Senate leader called for an investigation. "The intelligence is wrong," Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told CNN. "It didn't happen." He was referring to a New York Times report saying US intelligence agencies had "high confidence" that Russian hackers infiltrated the Republican National Committee's computer systems as well as those of Democratic Party organisations, but released information stolen only from the Democrats. News about the CIA report, first reported by The Washington Post on Friday, drew an extraordinary rebuke from the president-elect's camp. "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Trump's transition team said, launching a broadside against the spy agency. Trump said the election was over and that it's "now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'" However, senator Chuck Schumer, set to become Democratic minority leader in January, called for a congressional probe into the matter. "That any country could be meddling in our elections should shake both political parties to their core," he said Saturday. "It's imperative that our intelligence community turns over any relevant information so that Congress can conduct a full investigation." The debate simmered as US media reported that ExxonMobil President and CEO Rex Tillerson -- a businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin -- is Trump's likely pick for secretary of state. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, slammed the idea of Tillerson as top diplomat as "alarming and absurd." "With Rex Tillerson as our Secretary of State, the Trump administration would be guaranteeing Russia has a willing accomplice in the president's cabinet guiding our nation's foreign policy," he said in a statement. 'Help Trump get elected' The reports of Russian interference in the White House vote follow President Barack Obama's order for a review of all cyberattacks that took place during the 2016 election cycle. According to The Post, individuals with connections to Moscow provided anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks with emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign chief, and others. WikiLeaks steadily released those emails in the months before the election, damaging Clinton's White House run. "It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected," a US official briefed on an intelligence presentation to key senators told the newspaper. "That's the consensus view." CIA agents told the lawmakers it was "quite clear" that electing Trump was Russia's goal, according to officials who spoke to the Post. Russian hackers did not limit their hits to the Democrats, The New York Times reported. "We now have high confidence that they hacked the D.N.C. and the R.N.C., and conspicuously released no documents" from the Republican organization, one senior administration official told The Times. It is unclear however when Russia started supporting Trump, "and many intelligence officials -- and former officials in Mrs Clinton's campaign -- believe that the primary motive of the Russians was to simply disrupt the campaign and undercut confidence in the integrity of the vote," the newspaper said. Question marks The CIA's assessment falls short of a formal US assessment produced by all 17 intelligence agencies, The Post said. Intelligence agents cannot prove that Russian officials directed the identified individuals to give WikiLeaks the hacked Democratic emails. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied links with Russia's government. California Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of the Trump transition team, said he "does not believe the evidence shows that the Russians interfered in the elections in order to help Trump," a spokesman told AFP. However Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the same committee, said "the integrity of our elections is hindered" when Trump and his transition team "minimize or dismiss the intelligence assessments." For Schiff, "one would also have to be willfully blind not to see that these Russian actions were uniformly damaging to Secretary Clinton and helpful to Donald Trump." Calls for investigations Democrats in Congress called on US intelligence agencies to provide all information about Russian hacking and disinformation in the election. The current minority leader, Senator Harry Reid, even accused FBI Director James Comey of knowing about Russian hacking into the Republican servers "for a long time." "But he, Comey, who's a Republican, refused to divulge this information about Russia interfering with the presidential election," Reid told MSNBC, accusing the FBI director of being "the new J. Edgar Hoover." "I think he should be investigated," he added. Clinton has blamed Comey for her loss, saying his decision during the campaign's final weeks to re-open a probe into her email use as secretary of state broke her momentum. Previous intelligence reports have accused Russia of seeking to undermine the US election, without saying if Moscow favored any candidate. In an interview Wednesday in Time magazine, Trump was asked if the intelligence was politicized. "I think so," he said. "I don't believe they interfered," he said. "It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey." (AFP)

Republicans dismiss reports of Russian help in Trump's victory

'We will fight to protect every last American life,' he said. A large chunk of H1B visa holders are Indian

Referring to lawsuits by American employees against Disney World and other US companies, US President-elect Donald Trump has said he will not allow Americans to be replaced by foreign workers. “We will fight to protect every last American life,” Trump told thousands of his supporters in Iowa on Thursday, the Press Trust of India reported. "During the campaign I also spent time with American workers who were laid off and forced to train the foreign workers brought in to replace them. We won't let this happen anymore," Trump told the crowd. "Can you believe that? You get laid off and then they won't give you your severance pay unless you train the people that are replacing you. I mean, that's actually demeaning maybe more than anything else," PTI quoted him as saying. A large chunk of H1B visa holders are Indian. Two former Disney World employees, Leo Perrero and Dena Moore, have filed lawsuits in federal court against Disney and two global consulting companies, HCL and Cognizant.They have alleged that the companies conspired to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labour brought to the US on H-1B visas. The two employees were among 250 Disney tech workers laid off from their jobs at Walt Disney World in Orlando in January 2015. Following the lawsuits, Disney said in a statement, “These lawsuits are based on an unsustainable legal theory and are a wholesale misrepresentation of the facts,” the New York Times reported. According to the New York Times, the lawsuits represent the first time Americans have gone to federal court to sue both outsourcing companies that imported immigrants and the American company that contracted with those businesses. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Trump says will not allow H1B visa holders to replace US workers

A federal judge refused to halt presidential vote recount in Wisconsin Friday, saying that &quot;the recount is an inherent part of what ensures the integrity of elections,&quot; Reuters reported.&nbsp;

According to local media, US district judge James Peterson dismissed the request made by a political action committee seeking to stop the Wisconsin recount, Reuters said. President-elect Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes in the state.&nbsp;

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested that recounts be done in other two &#39;Rust Belt&#39; states--Michigan and Pennsylvania--where Trump had won narrowly.&nbsp;

In Pennsylvania, a federal judge was scheduled to hear arguments on Friday afternoon in a lawsuit brought by Stein seeking to begin a statewide recount there, Reuters said, whereas in Michigan the recounts were halted on its third day.&nbsp;

Stein has asked the Michigan Supreme Court to hear an appeal. &nbsp;

Peterson said Friday that the Wisconsin recount has so far revealed no irregularities, ABC News reported.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

A political action committee supporting President-elect Donald Trump had sought to stop the Wisconsin recount, which the judge dismissed

A federal judge refused to halt presidential vote recount in Wisconsin Friday, saying that "the recount is an inherent part of what ensures the integrity of elections," Reuters reported. According to local media, US district judge James Peterson dismissed the request made by a political action committee seeking to stop the Wisconsin recount, Reuters said. President-elect Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes in the state. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested that recounts be done in other two 'Rust Belt' states--Michigan and Pennsylvania--where Trump had won narrowly. In Pennsylvania, a federal judge was scheduled to hear arguments on Friday afternoon in a lawsuit brought by Stein seeking to begin a statewide recount there, Reuters said, whereas in Michigan the recounts were halted on its third day. Stein has asked the Michigan Supreme Court to hear an appeal. Peterson said Friday that the Wisconsin recount has so far revealed no irregularities, ABC News reported. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US: Wisconsin judge orders presidential vote recount to continue

US President-elect Donald Trump has asked Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn to head his White House National Economic Council, a group that coordinates economic policy across agencies, NBC News reported on Friday.

Cohn, president and chief operating officer at the Wall Street firm, had been widely considered the heir apparent to Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein. If he goes, it may give rise to a new group of leaders at the bank, most of whom have spent more than 20 years of their careers there.

A Goldman Sachs spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Cohn, 56, is a former Goldman commodities trader from Ohio who joined the firm in 1990. He served in a variety of leadership roles in bond trading, becoming co-head of Goldman&#39;s broader securities and eventually, co-president in 2006.

He makes frequent appearances at industry conferences and on television, speaking on the state of the financial markets.

If he takes the post, he will be following in the footsteps of Robert Rubin and Stephen Friedman, two other one-time Goldman Sachs executives who served in that role.

He would also be joining at least two other former Goldman executives who will also be serving in the Trump administration: Steven Mnuchin, nominated to head the Treasury Department, and Steve Bannon, picked to be chief strategist at the White House.

(Reuters)

Trump asked Gary Cohn to head his White House National Economic Council, a group that coordinates economic policy across agencies

US President-elect Donald Trump has asked Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn to head his White House National Economic Council, a group that coordinates economic policy across agencies, NBC News reported on Friday. Cohn, president and chief operating officer at the Wall Street firm, had been widely considered the heir apparent to Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein. If he goes, it may give rise to a new group of leaders at the bank, most of whom have spent more than 20 years of their careers there. A Goldman Sachs spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Cohn, 56, is a former Goldman commodities trader from Ohio who joined the firm in 1990. He served in a variety of leadership roles in bond trading, becoming co-head of Goldman's broader securities and eventually, co-president in 2006. He makes frequent appearances at industry conferences and on television, speaking on the state of the financial markets. If he takes the post, he will be following in the footsteps of Robert Rubin and Stephen Friedman, two other one-time Goldman Sachs executives who served in that role. He would also be joining at least two other former Goldman executives who will also be serving in the Trump administration: Steven Mnuchin, nominated to head the Treasury Department, and Steve Bannon, picked to be chief strategist at the White House. (Reuters)

Trump offers Goldman Sachs exec key economic post: NBC

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